Snowmelt
by gorblimey2
Summary: Maia is a recovering addict who lost a successful law practice to her addiction. Now she runs a phone-sx service and "G-man" House is a client.House finds out who she is and becomes embroiled in a mystery that needs solving. Sx,humor,love,mystery & an
1. Chapter 1

**Copyright 2008 -Kim Brogan (storyline-not characters)**

**Snowmelt**

**Chapter 1- Twelve Steps Forward- Ten Back**

"Hi, I'm Maia, I'm an addict."

The even dozen scattered through the small auditorium droned back, "Hi, Maia."

"I used to have a great job, made a lot of money, had friends and family that were proud of me, but I got hooked on coke and lost it." Maia looked around at the men and women in the audience, all dressed in their winter coats, sad eyes fixed on her. _God, this is crap. I hate having to get up here and strip myself emotionally naked._ "I've been clean for eighteen months and ten days."

Clapping.

"I still want it. I still find sobriety hard sometimes, hell, most of the time. But I take it one day at a time."

* * *

Maia arrived back to the one bedroom apartment. She looked down the street and saw the usual drunks begging outside the liquor store. It was cold, but sunny, a break from the last four days of sleet. She walked into the inner hall and met her neighbor, Jerry Clay, "Hi Jer."

"Hi Maia, how's it hangin?"

She chuckled, "Okay."

"I'm havin' a party next Saturday, you're invited. It may get loud."

"Thanks for the warning, but I hope to be working Saturday night."

Jer pushed his glasses back up his nose and smiled, "Yeah, I guess Saturday is your big night, huh? Well, if we get too loud, let me know. Adios muchacha."

"Bye."

Maia had the first apartment on the ground floor. She opened it and stepped inside, looking over at the bay windows. She had forgotten to close the drapes when she left to help keep the heat inside. It was cold in the apartment. She put her jacket away, but ran to the bedroom to get a warm sweater. She debated whether or not to turn on the heater. She went over to the thermostat and laughed. It was 56F inside the apartment. Cold. Maia debated, heat cost money and if she could get by without her hands needing gloves, then maybe she could live without turning on the heat. She started working around the apartment, changing the sheets, cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming and dusting. As long as she kept busy, she was warm enough. But as the sun started to set, the temperature dropped even further.

"Crap." Maia cursed under her breath. She was sitting under a throw, watching television, having trouble keeping her hands warm. She got up and turned the heater up to 60, hearing the radiators kick on. The ringer on the phone played, "No Place Like Home", indicating that she had a personal call coming through.

"Hello?" she answered.

She heard his deep voice crackle over the phone, "Hey. I thought I'd pick up some Mexican tonight. What do you want?"

"Hmmm. Cheese enchilada and a flauta."

"I'm losing reception. Okay, I'll be there in an hour. Bye."

"Bye."

_I better kick the heater up further or he'll moan all night._ Maia got up and turned the heater up to 64, then plopped back down on the couch. An hour later the door opened and in walked dinner.

"No flautas, so I got you a chile relleno." He put the bag down on the little kitchen table. He looked up, shook his head, "Lars said no. Sorry."

Maia's stomach went queasy. She had hoped, beyond hope, for some good news. It was long overdue. She managed to shrug her shoulders as she made her way to the cupboards to get the plates.

"Thanks for trying."

Phil stopped and turned towards her, "He said that, with your reputation, he just couldn't take a chance. Maybe next year when things die down."

Maia couldn't get out any words without crying so she said nothing. She nodded and handed him a plate, fork and paper towel. They each grabbed their food and sat back down on the couch to watch television. Maia couldn't concentrate on the program;, all she thought of was that her last real lead was now exhausted. She couldn't even get a job as a paralegal. She felt trapped in this hell she had created.

She shook her head as she chewed on the chile relleno, "I should move. Maybe if I moved to Trenton I could get a position as a paralegal."

"I doubt it. Your little tirade in court was the talk of the state. Everywhere I go they talk about the coked out attorney who tried to attack the defense attorney with a brief case."

Maia frowned, leaning her head back on the old plaid couch, "Yeah, I screwed up royally didn't I?"

"Well, they claim that Rossi still can't work in a courtroom." He saw how sad she was, but didn't want her to sink back into self-pity, "Maia, _you broke her nose_, pulled her hair out and throttled her neck! What did you expect?"

She yelled back, "I know that I'm getting what I deserve!" Maia didn't offer any excuses, she had none.

Della Rossi was a well known trial attorney for insurance companies. She had harassed Maia for months with masses of discovery from Rossi and her legal team. Every day, week after week, Rossi served interrogatories, requests for admissions, inspection notices and motions, overwhelming Maia and her paralegals. Maia couldn't even remember how the fight started, Rossi threatened even more motions and told the court Maia's case was a waste of the court's time and energy. Something in Maia's coked out brain snapped and the next thing she knew, she had the tall, busty Rossi on the courtroom floor with wads of her brunette hair in her hand.

"You're just lucky that she didn't have you arrested." Phil said.

Maia was tired of hearing how generous Rossi had been. "Oh, yeah, right. She's such a generous person that she tried to get me disbarred. You would have thought the 1.8 million dollars I paid her would have been enough. After the lawyer fees, having to shut down my practice and pay her the blood money, she was single handedly responsible for the bar suspending me for five years. Yeah, she was so generous she left me with no way to make a living."

"_No,_ you left yourself with no way to make a living."

Maia collapsed back in defeat, "Touche." 

They sat and watched television for a couple of hours until the phone rang, playing Fur Elise as it's ringtone. Maia gave Phil a guilty look, grabbed the receiver, ran into the bedroom closing the door solidly behind her.

Maia hit the talk button, "Hi, my name is Cali, what's your name?"

8

"I'm worried." Lisa picked an apple out of the fruit bowl by the cash register.

"About what?" Wilson grabbed his wallet to pay for both of them.

She scrunched her forehead and grimaced, "House. He's been…morose."

"Morose?"

"Not his usual snappy self. No cutting, biting remarks, just growling and yelling. He's not even being a jerk with panache. He's just being a jerk. What's up with him?"

Wilson shrugged his shoulders and knitted his brow, "I don't know. I ask him out and he mumbles about how lame it would be and that's it. I don't think he goes out of his cave very much. He's always got a drink in his hand when I'm with him."

"He smells like it. Can't you spike his coffee with anti-depressants again? Why don't you suggest them? He listens to you sometimes."

Wilson started chuckling at the thought of House listening to him. It was true, but House would never admit it. In fact, he'd do everything to deny that Wilson had any influence on him. Wilson sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

"I don't give a damn what you or Cuddy want. I don't like how I feel on anti-depressants."

Wilson yelled back, "You're self-medicating yourself with alcohol anyway." He calmed down, his shoulders sinking, "House, you're killing your liver and your life. " They stared at each other. Wilson's tilted his head, "What's wrong?"

He snickered, "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"The empty whiskey bottles in your trash can each week?"

House snarled in defense, "Oh, for God's Sake, give me a break. I like a drink when I get home."

Wilson dashed into the kitchen, rummaged through the trash pulling two whiskey bottles out. He held them up to House, "Let's see, trash day is Thursday; this is Saturday . You've gone through half that bottle on the table and these two in the trash can in three days. That's a pretty big drink when you get home."

House rolled his eyes, "And you're point being…?"

"My point is that you're getting worse, not better. You're giving up. Why?"

"You think if I knew I'd be like this?"

There was silence, a stalemate. Wilson wanted an answer, but House didn't have one.

House was grateful when Wilson finally went home. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. He closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep. Frustrated with another night of a cold, lonely, bed and a solitary life, House figured he'd watch some porn on the computer. He went out to the desk and started pulling up his favorite site. As he watched, "All Hands on Dick," he realized that each video was the same fake moaning and groaning, same varied positions and same script, different dialogue. He was bored with the porn.

_I must really be screwed if watching a girl give head does nothing._ He looked down at his crotch. _Not a stir, not even a flicker of life. I should call a hooker. _House looked in his wallet,_ Crap, not enough money. I need to start keeping an emergency fuck fund._

House climbed back in bed, but was unable to drift even into semi-consciousness. He sat up, turned on the light and grabbed a local magazine. He looked through the articles on the upcoming Princeton lecture series on astro-physics and new restaurant reviews. Turning the page , he saw her.

Reclining on a chase in a white teddy, garters and black stockings with white feather mules, was a beautiful brunette. Her big brown eyes and dark lashes were sexy, inviting.

"_I'm Cali, a co-ed at Princeton. I'm looking for friends. If you're lonely, give me a call and we'll have a good time! (900) 439-4224." _In smaller type it said, 3.95 a minute.

House looked at the photo and wondered what phone sex would be like. He suspected that its entertainment value would be somewhere between a hooker and a porn flick. House wanted female company, even if it was a disenfranchised voice. A voice, one that could respond to what he said, what he wanted, had to be better than a porn flick.

He reached for the phone.

* * *

_March 28__th__; 10:07 pm _

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"My name is Cali; what's your name?"

"G. You can call me G or G-man."

"G-man? That sounds cool. G-Man, I have to inform you that this phone call is being recorded until we get the terms out of the way. It will cost you 3.95 a minute, which I'll start charging you once you agree to pay. If you agree, hit the star button."

There was the sharp sound of him hitting the star button.

"I've stopped the recording. Now tell me G-man, do you like it when a woman licks your balls?"

"Wow, you don't waste any time. I thought you'd at least string it out just to make the call last longer."

_A talker__. I haven't had a talker in a long time. Talkers usually have money and don't really care how much it costs. _"I'm sorry, where are my manners? G, do you live in the Princeton area?"

"Uh, I don't know how much I really want to share with someone who makes porn calls for a living. But, suffice it to say that I know the area pretty well."

"Well, I'm a coed at Princeton."

He chuckled, "I'm sure you are. What's your major?"

"History."

"I bet."_Coed at Princeton my ass.__ Yeah, well. What did you expect? It's a fantasy…suspend your disbelief._

"What do you do?" she asked.

"I'm a musician."

"What do you play?"

"Piano, guitar, drums, harmonica, sax."

"Wow!" _No musician in the Princeton area makes enough to want to talk for 3.95 a minute, but I wonder if he's telling the truth about playing instruments. _"You play all those instruments?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever made love on the piano stool?"

"Good segue."

Maia chuckled. _Witty._ Maia slowed down her speech, letting him absorb what she was about to say, "Thanks. Well, I have…made love on a piano bench. When I was a senior in high school, I went to a party and ended up in the basement with a guy, listening to him play an old upright against the wall. He was playing Claire de Lune when I put my hand on his lower thigh. I kept inching it up slowly as the piece reached its crescendo. By the time I touched his crotch, I was wet and he was bulging. I just barely touched him and he grabbed me, slipped his hand up my top and around to unlatch my bra. He was in such a hurry that it got a little rough. He had a hard time with my panties, so he grabbed the elastic band and ripped them off. He pulled me over to straddle him. I found his zipper and it didn't take much for me to free him. God he was so hard and pink. He was already wet himself. The little blue vein on the side was pulsating and it was slick from his semen oozing out in anticipation. I knelt on the stool so I could lower myself down onto him. He wouldn't let me mount him at first. He pulled my top off, and popped my breasts in his mouth for some serious sucking. It was hard sucking, not rough, just steady and hot. His hand grabbed my hips and played with them for a few minutes before he slipped his hand between my legs. He kept saying, "You're so wet, so hot. So wet." He kept rubbing me as he alternated between saying I was hot and sucking on my nipples. I screamed out and he guided his rather nice sized erection inside of me, thrusting up so hard I yelled out. He tried to continue to suck on my breasts, but they bobbed up and down so fast and furious as he thrusted. He couldn't stay latched on. I have to admit, my butt kept coming down and banging on the keys. He shifted and I kept sliding up and down as he grunted hard several times, coming so hard I dripped all evening. I always have fond memories of piano benches."

She paused. She could hear heavy breathing coming from the other end of the receiver. He was almost there.

"G-man. I bet it would be really hot sitting with you on the piano bench. I can see a baby grand."_ A guy with money would have a baby grand._ "I can see you playing a little jazz on the piano, me sitting next to you in a filmy blouse, no bra and a peasant skirt. You can barely see the brown of my nipples through the gauze of my blouse. I can't take it anymore. The music is as suggestive as the outline of your dick in your pants. I start to rub you until you can't play anymore. You stand up, slip your arm around my waist and flip me on the stool onto my stomach. I have a thong on, so you just push the little string out of the way, unzip your pants and pull my legs apart. You pull me down to the edge of the piano bench, spread my folds with your fingers and plunge your dick inside. You're screwing me like I'm a wheel barrel…" Maia heard little grunts coming from the receiver. _He's coming._ "You're thrusting like a teenager, fast, hard. My butt is jiggling from the force of your pounding. It's so hot. You come in me over and over and over until it seeps out. I scream out from my orgasm, it rips through my body. I can't catch my breath it feels so delicious. When it's over you gently drop my legs and I sit up."

There was silence and then he spoke, his voice a husky whisper from the constriction of all his muscles when he came, "Next time, let's start with a little tongue, some kissing."

Maia smiled. _Next time?__ That's good. He's already talking about the next time. _"I'd like that."

"Okay, well…" He sounded a little awkward, almost shy, "I guess that's it for tonight. Goodnight Cali."

"Goodnight G-man." Maia smiled as she looked at the phone screen.

_End 10:28__ pm – 21 minutes _

_I just made 80, less the 8.00 I'll owe Jennifer. __About 70.__ That's good. I could use the 70. That plus my regular calls should net me about 550 this week. That's a good week. I hope he calls back. I'd like to make him a regular._


	2. Chptr 1,Pt 2 Chapter 2 Pt 1 Jonesing

House grabbed a Kleenex to wipe up the mess. He stood up and hobbled into his bathroom to wash up. _ That was hotter than I thought it would be. She's not bad. I wonder if she looks anything like the photo. __Ahhh__, it doesn't matter, I don't have to look at her anyway._

House brushed his teeth, grabbed some water and went back to bed. Within minutes he felt his brain becoming cotton candy and his body slipping into a deep slumber. House slept well, not waking until 8:00 am the next morning. He got up, showered and, for the first time in a long time, felt like doing something.

He called a very shocked Wilson and arranged to go out for lunch and a movie.

Wilson narrowed his eyes, "So…you decided to get out today?"

He nodded, "You complaining?"

Wilson quickly shook his head, "No, not at all. I'm glad you called. You look rested--like you got a good night's sleep."

"Yeah. I got a full eight last night."

"Ambian?"

"A new drug."

"Yeah?"

He snickered, "Cali."

"Is it new on the market?"

"Yeah, I just found out about it."

"Well, it looks like it works."

**Chapter 2**

**Jonesing**

"I think Cameron still wants me."

Wilson frowned, his forehead knitted into wrinkles, "She's with Chase, they're engaged."

House flinched; he had to control his reaction. He took a breath, "When did they get engaged?"

"Saturday. And why do you think Cameron still wants you?"

"The way she licks her lips whenever I get near her. Chase must not be bringing the bacon home…if you know what I mean." He smiled broadly and wiggled his eyebrows.

"House, that ship sailed two years ago, which is probably a good thing. It wouldn't be a good fit between the two of you. She'd obsess over every move you made. Between her and me monitoring your behavior, you'd never have to feel for yourself. We'd let you know what you're feeling 24/7. You'd be too in touch with yourself, you'd implode."

House didn't really want Cameron, but he didn't want her to _not _want him. He wanted to know that there was someone, a woman, that found him desirable, wanted contact with him. Plus, it was nice that a hot young woman found him attractive.

Wilson smiled at the obvious disappointment in House's face, "Ewww. It hurts huh?" Wilson laughed and started singing, " _Who's__ going to drive you home tonight… Who's __gonna__ pay attention, to your dreams? And who's __gonna__ plug their ears, when you scream? You can't go on, __thinkin__' __nothin's__ wrong…"_

House sneered, "Shut up!"

House sat at his desk the rest of the day reading journals. He'd read an article a few months ago on a new outbreak of Marburg in Angola, so he was trying to find it. House's patient had just returned from Angola the week before. He realized that he might just have a case of Marburg on his hand. He called his friend, Maggie, at the CDC.

Her perky voice, laughing came on the line, "I don't believe it! They said Greg House was calling me. I figure the climate changes have finally taken effect. Hell has frozen over."

"Mags, Mags, Mags…you _know_ you love me. When are you going to come to your senses and get back in my bed?"

"When hell unthaws. Honey, that bed of yours is just too hot. If I could figure a way for us to get together without a nuclear event, I'd be up to Princeton before you could hobble your little ass home from the hospital."

House chuckled, but inside of him he felt pangs of longing. There had always been something between him and Maggie. They'd had it for fifteen years now. Years ago they'd been together, but it was too hot, too passionate. They had loved each other _too_ much. They were both volatile and often ended up saying things they wished they hadn't. Life with Maggie had never been boring and more often had been ecstasy. But the pain they inflicted on each other when they were angry was too much to bear. House left Maggie after one of their fights and just before she went to Washington, D. C. It had been a cold night, sleet coming down, icing up the road. He drove twenty miles, slipping and sliding to his friend's apartment and crashed on his couch for the next six weeks before being kicked out. He went back to the little house he share with Maggie, but she had moved to Washington D.C. to take up her post with the CDC. It was over.

"I don't know; I hobble pretty fast."

"Well handsome, what can I do for you?"

"I want you to come up Maggie."

She turned serious, knowing he wasn't inviting her up for a rendezvous. "What is it Greg?"

"Marburg."

She gasped. "You are joking aren't you?"

"My patient is just back from Angola and they thought he had typhoid fever. He's got the rash and hepatitis."

He heard the pause and could imagine her thinking. He knew exactly what she was doing, her gray eyes flashing, her hand running through her reddish-blonde hair. She'd bite her lower lip and then sigh. When he heard the sigh he smiled to himself. He knew she had come to a conclusion. "I have to send Ken up. I'm leaving for Europe the day after tomorrow. I'm taking a post in Switzerland. Sorry."

They were both sorry. For the last fifteen years their timing had been off. Maggie had been living with Edgar the first time House showed up on her doorstep in Washington two years after they broke up. House was living with Stacy the next time they saw each other. When Stacy left him, Maggie went up to Princeton to see him, but she was engaged to Edgar, and, despite House's tugging on her heart, she remained faithful. But her fiancé didn't. When she was in Princeton, he took the opportunity to screw her best friend. The friend, who had wanted Edgar for years, immediately confessed to Maggie upon her return. Devastated, she took a post in Africa and was stationed overseas for five years, returning a year ago. She had assumed that House must be in a relationship. He hadn't returned her emails since she'd returned. She didn't think there was a reason to stay in the States, so when she was offered the post as European liaison with the WHO, she accepted it. Now he was calling. Maggie shook her head, once again, their timing was crap.

"Are you sure you don't want to come up to take care of this yourself?" he asked.

She knew he was really asking if she wanted to see him, be with him. She felt terribly sad. Everything she owned was on a ship headed towards Geneva, Switzerland.She was committed to going. "I can't. I'll send Ken." There was a pause, a heavy silence. "Greg, I'm so sorry." Her voice was heavy.

"No, I understand. Geneva, huh?"

"I'll be the WHO liaison."

"How long?"

"Two years."

He snickered, "You know, someday we'll be in the same universe at the same time."

"I believe that would be like matter sharing the same space at the same time, the universe would implode."

"At least I'd go out with a smile on my face."

Maggie laughed heartily, "Yeah, it does have a certain appeal to it."

House got home that evening and crashed on his sofa with a glass of Maker's Mark. He tried to watch television, but he kept thinking about Maggie and her talented body. He wondered if it was still as talented. _God I really miss her_. _The passion, the highs and lows of living with someone I didn't think I could live without._ He remembered her smell, it was the herbal shampoo that everyone used back then. He remembered the shampoo and the sex in the shower, how he'd wash her hair and then her body while he screwed her from behind. House could feel things stir beneath his zipper. He reached over and pulled the phone out of cradle, got up and went over to his desk. He grabbed the phone bill and found the 900 number.

_May 5__th__, 10:39 pm_

"Hello?"

He lay back down on the sofa, "Hi."

"My name is Cali, what's your name?"

"G-man."

"G-man?" There was a short pause, "It's great to hear from you G-Man. I'm glad you called back. It may seem stupid, but I still have to inform you that this phone call is being recorded until we get the terms out of the way. It will cost you $3.95 a minute, which I'll start charging you once you agree to pay. If you agree, hit the star button."

"Oh, for Christ's sake. I agree."

She heard the star button.

"G, how have you been?"

"Nostalgic for some shower sex."

"With a specific someone, or just me? Because I can be someone else if it helps."

"You look hot. You'll do."

Maggie looked down at the flannel nightgown, a little frayed at the edge. She reached up and ran a hand through her hair, which, unlike the long brunette hair in Jennifer's photo, was cut short and choppy. "I love shower sex. I like it best in the morning. You wake up after making love the night before…" _Damn, I forgot, never call it making love, __it's__ 'hot sex' "…_ and we wake up, laying around for an hour or so. I make a move to go get cleaned up, but you stay in bed, not wanting to get up just yet. But when I turn on the shower, you keep imagining me standing in the warm shower, the water running down between my breasts, across my abdomen, between my legs, over my thighs and calves. Your dick starts to get hard just thinking about it so you get out of bed and walk into the bathroom. You can see my shadow behind the shower curtain, the outline of my breasts and nipples make you even harder.

I hear you come in and I know by your silence that you want me again. I peek around the shower curtain and you're standing there with a glorious boner, pink with lovely blue veins as it throbs, wanting me. I open the curtain and you step into the tub, rubbing your penis up against me as you pin me against the tile. You kiss me with your slightly open mouth, your warm tongue slipping through my teeth and into meet my warm, receptive tongue.

I turn around, leaning back against you. You want to spread my legs and take me right then, but you hold off. You pull the shampoo from the basket and start to wash my hair, pulling the foam from the shampoo from my head and rubbing it down my body, over my wet breasts and nipples. You pinch them lightly and rub against my ass over and over, getting hotter and hotter. You turn me and dunk my head under the shower and rinse my hair. While I'm bent slightly back you lick my nipples and then suck them hard—" Maia heard House gasp slightly in short breaths. He was either coming or close to it, "—you whip me around again, bending me over and spreading my legs. You screw me doggy style. I'm braced up against the tile, taking all of you up inside of me as far as you can thrust. It's hard, it's rough and you're pounding –"she heard the unmistakable grunts of a man coming, "—I'm bouncing forward with you inside of me. I scream out from the orgasm racing through my body. It clamps down on you over and over as we rock back and forth. Neither of us can take it anymore. You collapse on my back, but you don't slip out, not just yet. We just stay like that for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of each other."

Maia waited a few minutes. "Like I said, I love shower sex." _I love it, but I don't get any. Phil likes sex in bed and that's it. Shower sex is too awkward for him. _"Do you like shower sex?"

There was a pause, House took the phone with him into the bathroom as he cleaned up, "Yeah, it can be hot."

"Was that shower hot enough? Because I might still be a little dirty."

There was a chuckle, "I like my girls a little dirty."

Maia laughed back. "I bet you do. What made you want shower sex?"

He wasn't going to answer, but then it didn't seem like it really mattered. "I heard from an old girlfriend today. "

"And you two were good in the shower?"

"We were both very dirty."

They both laughed.

"Isn't it funny how we associate certain things with one person? When I fly, I always think of this one guy. We joined the mile high club together. I met him when there was a three hour delay in the airport, we had great sex on the plane and then parted in Berlin. I always think of him when I fly, no matter who I'm with."

"I know what you mean. I may take showers with others, but I always think of her – well at least for a few seconds."

"Why aren't you with her?"

There was a pause, "Internal combustion. We had great energy, but we consumed everything around us creating it."

Maia looked up at the ceiling. She was laying in bed, Phil snoring softly next to her. She understood completely. "Yeah, I lived with a guy for six months. I worshipped him, but we just ripped each other's hearts out. It was a painful existence, no matter how much we loved each other, the pain together was worse than the pain of parting.

House looked at the empty Maker's Mark glass; he got up and grabbed the bottle, pouring another drink. "Wow, only six months?"

"Pathetic, huh?" she got up out of bed and went out to the living room, climbed on the sofa and tucked her legs under her body.

House sat down on the couch, "I keep thinking that it's always possible that we might get back together."

"Have you mentioned this to her?" Maia asked, as she shuffled through her bills. She realized she hadn't paid for her ad in the local Princeton free entertainment magazine.

House was thinking about Maggie, "What's the use? She's moving to Geneva in two days. I'm not even a flicker in her thought process anymore."

"How long will she be gone?"

"Two years."

Maia's eyes flew open, "Oh G. I am sorry. That is a long time."

"It doesn't matter; when we were together we always fought like cats and dogs. I suspect that nothing has changed. We're both pretty stubborn."

"Ah, been there…the same man I lived with for six months? I see him occasionally on the street and I feel twitches in my heart. Funny, we haven't been together in years and I feel these guttural reactions."

House laughed to himself, "Years? You couldn't be more than twenty-five in your photo." House fished for a response, knowing that if it really was a picture of her, it might be an old one.

Maia had let her guard slip, had become herself for a moment. She quickly backtracked, "Okay, so it may have only been two years ago, but it seems like a long time to me."

"Have you always lived in Princeton?"

"More or less. I keep coming back. My father was a professor at the university."

"Does he approve of your new vocation? Or is this something you do to work your way through college?"

"My father is dead…has been for quite awhile. Do you see your father?"

House snickered, "My Dad and I aren't exactly bosom buddies. My parents live in California."

"California? Then you don't get to see them very often do you?"

"That's a good thing. My Mom tends to bear most of the pain when we all get together. She hates seeing my Dad and I fight."

"Do you fight because you're so much alike or because you're so different?"

"I used to think we were so different; I'm not so sure now. We both want our own ways and won't give an inch. I can't forgive him the past and he won't forgive me the lack of a future."

Maia felt her heart pinch for this stranger. _What is so bad about his life that he doesn't think he has a future? _"You sound young enough to still have a future."

"Not really. I'm older than you."

Maia smiled to herself. _I'm not so sure._ "That doesn't mean you're too old for a future."

House was tired of feeling, "Well, I won't have a future if I keep paying for this phone call."

Maia giggled, "I get the hint. Well, call if you get dirty." Her voice grew soft and kind, "Good night G man."

"Good night Cali."

_End - __11:21 pm__ 42 minutes_

Maia stared at the phone for a few minutes, wondering what the man looked like on the other end. _Probably pretty ugly._ _Gorgeous men don't call __me,__ they can pull anyone they want for the real thing_. Maia got up and went back to bed, looked over at Phil, his mouth open, snoring and grinned. Phil had been good to her, sticking by her when her life got ugly. He never gave up on her, not once. One thing about Phil, he was well into his fifties, but he believed in a future, he always thought there was one.


	3. Chapter 2 Part 2

House woke up feeling well rested again. The first thing he thought about was Cali. He wondered how old Cali really was. She didn't sound dumb. In some ways, she sounded older than him, like she had put on a few miles in her life too.

When he arrived at PPTH, House found a dour looking man sitting in his office. House was just as dour in return. "CDC?"

The man stood up and extended a hand. House hesitated and then shook it. "Ken Larson."

"The patient is on the fourth floor in quarantine. Before I left yesterday, I transferred him over to Dr. Proctor, our infectious disease specialist. You'll be interfacing with him."

"Maggie told me to deal with you and you alone. She said that you'd try to pawn me off on someone else, but I was to stick with you to determine if this was Marburg and if it was spreading."

"But I just diagnose…I don't treat."

"Yeah, but she said you'd be the best at helping decide if it had spread. Dr. House, she said that either you cooperate or you go into quarantine too."

House's mouth dropped open, "_That little bi…" _He stopped and a smile spread slowly across his lips_. She knows me too well. _House nodded. He heard the door open and saw Cuddy rush towards him.

"Is it true? Marburg?"

House gave her a silly face and put his finger up to his mouth, "Shhhh, the CDC will hear you!" He motioned to Ken.

Cuddy gave House a disgusted look, then turned to Ken, "Dr. Larson?" Cuddy smiled as she shook Ken's hand. "Dr. Malone said you were coming. Have you seen the patient?"

"Dr. House was just going to show me."

House gave a phony smile to Cuddy and then indicated that they should follow him through the door. They all went upstairs to the fourth floor and entered the quarantine room. House provided Ken with a photocopy of the chart that he had prepared for the CDC. Within minutes they were back outside.

"I'd have to agree that it's Marburg. Good call Dr. House." Ken said.

"Can I go now?" House asked.

"Dr. House, we need to follow up and see if anyone on the plane, or that he came into contact with, is sick."

House acknowledged this, "I assume the CDC in Washington will cover the passengers on the plane. I've already taken the liberty of bringing his family in later this morning for testing. He informed us that, since he got home, he hasn't been out of his house.

Cuddy knitted her brow and narrowed her eyes, "And you believed him? What happened to, 'Everybody Lies?'"

House held up a finger quickly to his mouth again, "Shhhhh."

Cuddy shook her head, "At least interview his relatives today."

"That's _his_ job." House said, pointing at Larson.

She sneered at him, "House, I promised Dr. Malone that you would conduct the investigation. So do it. You can call Dr. Malone if you need additional help."

"Dr. Malone won't be there she's leaving for Europe tomorrow."

"Europe?"

Ken volunteered, "She was promoted to European Liaison with WHO."

Cuddy's eyebrows went up, "That's quite a feather in her cap. Still, she said she'll be monitoring this investigation through email. So you need to report to her each day. No excuse."

House sighed deeply and snarled as Cuddy stormed out the door. He turned to face Larson, "You can take a break, the family won't be here for another hour." House practically ran out the door, leaving Larson in his wake, and headed for Wilson's office.

He pushed open the door without the courtesy of a knock. Wilson was sitting with a patient, "Not now House."

House paid no attention and came inside.

"_House, I said not now!"_

"I'm not here, just passing through. He opened the door to the balcony and went outside. Wilson watched him out of the corner of his eye as he continued to outline the treatment for the patient. When the patient left, a very irritated Wilson joined House on the balcony.

"I know it's useless to chastise you, so what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm dodging the CDC."

"What?"

"Maggie sent down this bozo to work on my Marburg case; I had to hide."

"Why?"

House stood and stared at Wilson, "Because he's not Maggie."

"That's quite an observation. No, he's not Maggie. If you want to see Maggie, you need to get in that boat you call a car and drive to Washington D.C."

"She's not in D.C. anymore."

"You just talked to her by the miracle of Ma Bell…"

"She moved to Europe."

"Okay, I'm not following. You told me this morning on the way in that you spoke to her last night. She was in Europe?"

"No, she's leaving tomorrow. She's accepted a two year post there."

Wilson chuckled, "You have lousy timing. I've never met her, but you two seem to be two ships passing in the night. Either that or you are on the longest collision course I've ever seen."

House walked into the office again and sat down on Wilson's sofa. "Why do you think a woman becomes a phone sex operator?"

"What? Phone sex? I don't know…not very bright—"

"She's bright."

"— the money. Are we talking about any one person?"

"Maybe."

"You've been having phone sex? What happened to the hookers?"

"I haven't given them up. Don't worry; I'm still stimulating the underground economy of the area. I'm trying to spread the wealth among _all _the ladies of the night."

"Why do you need both?"

"Why not?"

"Cost? Plus it seems that if you've had a hooker, why do you need phone sex?"

"Oh Jimmy boy, you ought to try it. She's really very good."

"You keep talking as if there's one in particular."

House went over to the desk and grabbed the local "free" paper out of Wilson's trash can. He opened it up to the back, "Her, Cali."

Wilson whistled to himself, "The girl, and _girl_ is the appropriate noun, in the picture is gorgeous and definitely your type. But House, the odds that this is the woman you're talking to are pretty low."

House gave Wilson a smirk, "For God's sake, don't you think I know that. But you should try her."

Wilson looked at his with distain, "I don't need phone sex. I prefer the real thing."

"I do too, but real sex brings real women with real problems and real needs. Sometimes I just don't want to have to deal with the morning after, the awkward run to the restroom to pee, the morning breath, the frustration of wanting them to go home. I find it refreshing to just hang up the phone. All problems solved."

"Here's a novel idea; why don't you try and find yourself a girlfriend?"

"Because with real women come—"

"—real problems."

"Jimmy boy, you learn fast."

* * *

House grimaced as he tried to climb the dark staircase of the apartment building. "The CDC better give me combat pay. I think I just saw a rat. I _know_ I saw cockroaches and a Crip…and a Blood."

Remy stepped over some trash in the stairwell, "House stop moaning. You're lucky we're here in the daylight."

"Dr. House, the CDC is not responsible for your discomfort."

"If it weren't for the bloody CDC, I wouldn't be a white man with a target on his back." House reached the landing of the third floor. He glanced back at Ken, who was waiting for him to go up the next flight of stairs. "This sucks. You tell Maggie that I don't care how much she begs, _I'm not marrying her_."

Ken looked confused and bewildered. "I'm sorry, are you engaged to Maggie?"

House snickered, "_Not anymore…_not after sending me on a wild goose chase into this hell hole. Tell her the sex wasn't _that good."_

"Dr. House, we shouldn't be here more than a couple of hours. Mr. Umbatu's teenage daughter is showing symptoms and his little daughter plays with the kids in this building. We have to get samples and interview the occupants. The Umbatus live on the second floor, we need to start our interviews up on four."

Houserolled his eyes, "I know that moron, _I'm the one who suggested we come_."

"Then why are you upset?"

Remy , who was standing four steps below Ken, shook her head, "He just likes to moan. You get used to it. It becomes background noise."

House sneered at her and then kept climbing until he reached the top of the apartment building, the fourth floor. He knocked on the door to 408. They all waited patiently, but no one answered. He moved on to 406, knocking on it. A door opened and a small, oriental woman answered. She cautiously held the door open inches, to the point where it reached the end of the security chain.

"What you want?" she said in a thick oriental accent.

House rolled his eyes and began to speak in Japanese, "I'm here because your neighbor is very sick and may have infected you and your family with a deadly disease. I need for you to answer my questions truthfully or this man behind me has the authority to deport you."

The woman, who was a resident alien with all the proper paperwork, started screaming at House in Japanese, "I have a green card. I'm here legally. You should go downstairs, most of them don't have green cards."

House held up his hand to shut the woman up, "I don't care about your green card. Answer my questions and we're out of here. Now let me in, I need to sit down, my leg hurts from climbing the steps."

The woman looked from House to Ken and then to Remy. She paused, uncertain about what she should do. She closed the door, undid the chain and then let them inside. House, Ken and Remy could see that the woman did the best she could with what she had. The furniture was thread-bare and the walls in bad need of paint, but the apartment was clean, comfortable and smelled like fish.

Sitting in the chair, House began to interview the woman in Japanese. When they were done, he got up and went into the kitchen with the woman who offered House a bowl of fish-head soup, which he accepted, slurping it down. As House ate, he watched Ken and Remy squirm, ready to go.

Remy finally hissed, "House, hurry, we have thirty more apartments to go."

He smiled and pulled out a fish head from the bowl; its dead eyes staring into space, "You should try the soup, it's great."

"Come on!" she replied.

He shrugged his shoulders, handing the bowl back to the woman. He thanked her in Japanese, bowed and then picked up his cane. Once they were out in the hall, House told them that they had a bigger problem. House frowned, "Mr. Umbatu's wife lied to us. She and their daughter, the teenager currently in our care, aren't unemployed. They're just employed under the table. They both clean houses and babysit, mostly the kids in the apartment building." House looked at the stunned faces of Remy and Ken. They both looked a little paler at the thought of what this meant. "One good thing, Mrs. Nygoya is her rival. She babysits all the oriental and white kids. Mrs. Umbatu watches the Hispanic and black kids. Apparently there are only eight families with kids that Mrs. Umbatu watches from time to time. The problem is, Mrs. Nygoya doesn't know who Mrs. Umbatu cleans houses for except for a bachelor on the third floor."

Ken shook his head, "Oh, crap!" He paced on the landing, "We need to find the kids she babysits."

Housenodded, "Yeah, I'd say that was top priority. You speak Spanish thirteen, you work with Ken. I'm going to go find this guy that has his house cleaned by her."

House took the well worn stairs to the third floor, leaving Remy and Ken to knock on doors on the fourth. He knocked on the door and wasn't surprised to find that no one had answered. He knocked on the door next to him. A twenty-something girl answered the door. She was holding a toddler.

"I'm Dr. House and I'm here on behalf the CDC. A tenant upstairs has a deadly disease and we're making sure that you haven't been in contact with him or his family. Who watches your daughter?"

She was indignant, "I do!"

"When you have to run out for a minute, who watches your daughter?"

She looked at him, "Do you have some i.d.?" House pulled out his PPTH identification card. The woman relaxed. "If my boyfriend isn't here, Mrs. Umbatu does or, sometimes Maia."

"Maia?"

"She lives on the first floor. She's home a lot."

"When was the last time that Mrs. Umbatu babysat for you?"

"Three days ago."

"And Maia…when did she last watch her?" House glared at the toddler in her arms.

"I had to go pick up my boyfriend from work the day before yesterday, so Maia watched her. I tried to get Toja to watch her, but she wasn't in. I went down to Maia's and Toja was there, cleaning her apartment."

House took out his cell and called Remy. "What's the name of Umbatu's daughter…the teen in the hospital?"

"Toja Umbatu."

House quickly closed his cell phone. "You and your entire family need to go directly to Princeton Plainsboro Hospital as soon as possible. See Dr. Chris Taub and tell him that I sent you from the Umbatu apartment building." House wrote Chris's name on a card and handed it to her.

The woman knitted her brow, "You think we're sick?"

"Maybe. Just go see Dr. Taub. Which apartment is Maia in?"

"First floor, Apartment 4."

As he made his way down the stairs, House called Taub and brought him up to date. "I'm on my way to the woman that was in contact with her yesterday.'

Looking upand down the hall,House realized that Maia's apartment was towards the front of the building. He found it and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a hoarse female voice asked.

"Dr. House."

"I don't know a Dr. House."

House put his eye up to the peep hole and could see an eye looking back. "I'm here with the CDC. Two of the occupants of this building are in the hospital with a deadly disease and we have reason to believe you came into contact with them."

"Who?"

"The Umbatus."

"Toja?"

"Yes, now can you open this door? You sound ill."

"I woke up this morning with a cold."

House shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "Come on, don't be a moron, open the damn door so I can examine you."

"_I don't know you!"_

House got out his identification card and put it up to the peep hole. "Can you see that?"

"I.D. cards are a dime a dozen. What disease is it?"

House was frustrated. It was unlikely that she was going to know what Marburg was. She was wasting his time, "You know, I don't give a damn if you die alone in there; so if you start bleeding from every orifice, come down to PPTH and ask for Chris Taub."

"You told me House and it said Gregory House on your i.d. "She said suspiciously.

"Taub is my Fellow." House turned to go.

Her muffled voice asked, "Bleeding? As in Ebola or Lassa?"

House stopped and turned to face the door again. "Yeah, as in Marburg."

"Marburg?" There was a pause, "Dr. House, I have a headache, chills, fever and a sore throat. I'm hoarse."

House was tired of this, he yelled at her, "I can tell. You have symptoms that should be checked out_. Open the damn door_."

"I don't believe you're a doctor. Doctors don't scream at their patients.'

"You're not my patient…yet."

"You're not my doctor…ever."

"Ewwww, you hurt my feelings." He chuckled.

"Ewwww. Good, I've made my quota."

House chuckled to himself, "Well, if you bleed to death it will probably be out of that mouth of yours; it's big enough."

"You better hope you don't get it…since you're one big sshole."

He hid his face so she couldn't see the grin on his face, "Fine. I'm leaving a card out here; get yourself to the hospital and get checked out; see the guy on the back of the card."

"The guy on the back's not you, is it?"

"I'm House, the guy on the back is Taub." House started to leave, but something made him stop, "Look Maia, you sound bad, make sure you get into the hospital."

He could hear a muffled, "How did you know my name?"

"Telepathy. Now make sure you get in today." He yelled through the door.

"Sure Greg, anything you say. You know how much I _trust _you."

He chuckled, then turned and left.


	4. Chapter 2 Part 3

"I let her go."

House stared at Taub, "But I wanted to see her. What did she look like?"

"Like a woman…you know, 5'3"ish, blondish, frecklish…'

"Yeah, yeah, all the ishes. Was she ugly?"

Taub jerked his head back and looked at House like he had just predicted an alien invasion, "She was sick!"

"And you sent her home?"

"It was a cold. I ran a RT-PCR on her and it was negative for Marburg. She's got a bad cold. What's wrong with you? You seem disappointed that she didn't have Marburg."

House through his hands up, "_I wanted to see what she looked like!"_

"But you saw her this morning."

"That's just it; I didn't see her. She stayed behind her door."

Taub shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, you should have told me you wanted to meet her."

House rolled his eyes, "I didn't want to meet her, I wanted to look at her. Then…maybe meet her."

"You have a crush on a woman you've never met?"

"She was unique."

"You mean she didn't let you railroad her?"

"Go back to your lab Dr. Frankenstein, obviously you've never had a crush on a disenfranchised voice." House turned and walked down the corridor.

Taub yelled after House, "House, you need help…or a woman."

The phone rang several times. House wondered when she would pick up or if she was on the line with someone else. A message came on, "Hi, this is Cali. I'm sorry, but I'm either with another customer or unavailable. Please call back another time." He slammed the phone down and took a drink. He leaned back ._Well, it wasn't like I really need to get off or anything. _ He stopped, wondering what he really wanted. _Damn, don't tell me that I want just to talk to her. Crap, I must be lonely if I want to talk to a faceless voice. __Taub's__ right. I need a woman._


	5. Chapter 3 The Beat Goes ON

**

* * *

Chapter 3**

**The Beat Goes On**

"Thanks for behaving."

"I didn't do it for you."

Maggie chuckled, "No, you did it for humanity."

House leaned back into the chair and listened to her voice come out of the speaker. "I did it to get Cuddy off my back."

"Fair enough." She paused. She felt herself turn mushy, "House, why don't you come over to Geneva? Come and spend some time with me."

The grin on House's face turned into a frown, "I can't."

Maggie felt embarrassed. _I've read too much into our flirting. _"Oh, I understand. I just meant that if you ever needed a break you could – "

"Maggie, I can't because my passport expired last month. I need to apply for another one."

"Oh! Well, if you decide to get one, then think about coming over."

"Sure, I'll send it in for renewal this week. They say it's taking several months now. When I get it back, I'll give you a call."

"Greg, if you think it's a bad idea, I'll understand."

House took a deep breath, "I don't know Maggie. I could use someone like you in my life. But I don't know if I could use you."

She choked up, "I understand. Believe me, I really do understand. Take care Greg."

"You too Mags."

House hung up just as Cuddy marched into his office. "I need that last report so that the CDC can close the case and our insurers will take it off their books."

"Get Taub to draft it."

She looked at him, bewildered, "He did. He said it's somewhere on your desk for review and signature."

House sat up and started looking around.

Cuddy shook her head, "Well, while I'm here, good job. You managed to put a lid on a possible epidemic. Even the CDC was impressed. It will go down well with the Board."

House shuffled papers, "Great, do I have a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card'?"

"Don't push your luck."

House signed the report and handed it to her.

"Aren't you going to read it?"

House snickered and frowned. Cuddy put her hands up in surrender and left. House watched Cuddy and remembered the "ship has sailed" speech. He wondered if it was true. Had all his ships sailed? Was he rudderless? Did he have any wind left in his sails? House needed to find out.

* * *

"Okay, we're in a prime seat, our drinks have been ordered and you're actually looking presentable; is this "Punked"?

House scowled at Wilson, "Ashton couldn't make it tonight, so he sent Demi." House nodded at a brunette with a more than passing resemblance to Demi Moore. Wilson nodded back in approval.

"I've come to find my soulmate."

Wilson was less than impressed, "_In a club_?"

"Where else would I find her? Not like I go to church. I could try parents without partners, but then I'd have to look up my long lost bastards and parade them out. How else am I going to meet someone?"

"Work? Join a book club? Maybe go to some of the hospital functions?"

House laughed at Wilson, "Yeah, I need another doctor in my life to tell me what I'm feeling. No thanks, I've got you."

Wilson watched House as he continued to scan the club for women. He noticed that, for a Thursday night, the club was busy. The lights were low, but there were enough women strategically placed that there was a decent pool to dive into. "Maybe you could go to a bar event, meet another lawyer. They seem to be able to handle you."

"Objection, lacks foundation. Remember, she left me? Your suggestions are just getting worse. What about that one over there?"

Wilson saw the young brunette with brown eyes and wide mouth. She was definitely House's type, physically. "She's pretty. But she's too young; you'd eat her up alive. You need someone who can say no when you suggest a threesome."

"Are you joking? I need someone who _suggests_ a threesome."

House stood up and went over to the brunette's table. Wilson watched as House made his move. When House motioned for Wilson to join them at her table, Wilson had to smile. When House wanted to charm, he could do it better than anyone else. Wilson grabbed both of their drinks and took them over to the table.

"Wilson, this is Brianne. She works at J & J Adult Bookstore." House gave Wilson a look as if he was in Nirvana. "We were just discussing the benefits of a rabbit ear vibrator over a regular dildo."

Wilson shook his head at House when Brianne wasn't looking. He decided that he do a little background check, "Brianne, where do you live?"

"I live in Plainsboro with my parents."

Wilson gave House a look of amusement. "Oh, how old are you?"

She flashed him a toothy grin, showing off her perfectly corrected and whitened teeth. "I'm 21, yesterday."

"Well, happy birthday. Did you hear that House, she's the big 21. What, you turned 21 in 1980, right?"

House's mouth went up in a snarl as his eyes narrowed.

The young girl laughed, "Oh, don't worry, I know you're probably older than my Dad, but I like older men."

House gave Wilson a smug smile. "We're both doctors. So, how did you get your job at the adult store?"

"I walked in and filled out an application. I'm a college student."

House gave Wilson another smug smile, "Princeton?"

"Rider University. I want to be a Kindergarten teacher."

Wilson started to laugh, trying to keep his hand over his mouth so he wouldn't hurt the girl's feelings.

"You think being a teacher is funny?" she asked.

Wilson shook his head quickly, "Oh no, I was just laughing at a kindergarten teacher working in an adult book store." Wilson looked at House who knew Wilson was really laughing at him.

She giggled, "I know. My friends joke about it all the time. But I do their bookkeeping."

House leaned forward, "What's their best seller?"

"The porn flicks."

House shook his head, "I mean adult toy.'

She smiled, "Besides oils and lotions…dildos and then handcuffs."

"Do you have handcuffs?"

She blushed.

House was taken aback. _Blushing at that? That's a bad sign._

"No, sorry. I don't have much experience in that area."

House was suspicious, "Much experience or _no_ experience?"

She looked down shyly, "What do you mean by experience?"

Warning bells went off. House looked at a rather amused Wilson who was turning red from holding in the laughter. "I'm leaving." House got up abruptly and took off towards the front door.

Wilson finished his drink in one swallow, "It was nice meeting you Brianne." Wilson took off after House. House had already made it to the car in the parking lot. He was clearly frustrated and upset. He looked around, staring abjectly into the night.

Wilson saw the dejected look, "House? What's wrong? You can't be upset by striking out in there."

He sighed, "It's not just in there. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

Wilson knew he had a brief window of opportunity to get House to open up emotionally. He unlocked the door and they both got in. Before starting the car, Wilson turned his head slightly towards House, but not looking at him. "You're healing. After all these years you're healing and it itches. It's uncomfortable and painful at times when the scab gets knocked off, but you're healing. You know, you always had a woman in your life until Stacy left. Between your leg and her leaving, you took a major blow. You just need to be patient with yourself."

"I'm tired of being patient. I'll be fifty in a few years. At some point, granted we're talking about ten years or more, my attractiveness has to diminish." He turned and gave Wilson a sly smile.

Wilson laughed, started the car and drove them to their favorite bar where House proceeded to get shitfaced. Wilson managed to pour him onto the couch and then locked the door as he left. House looked at the phone and picked up the receiver.


	6. Chapter 3 Part 2

_June 1 – 11:23 pm_

"Hi, my name is Cali, what's yours?"

"It's G-man."

G-man? You sound a little drunk. I'm glad you called back. Once again, I have to inform you that this phone call is being recorded until we get the terms out of the way. It will cost you – "

"Yeah, yeah -- $3.95 a minute. I'm hitting the star button."

She heard the button. Normally, she loved drunks, even though they were harder to get off. They stayed on the phone for a long time and ran up a bill. But, she wasn't sure about G. "G are you sure you want to talk tonight? Maybe you should think about going to bed."

"Why, I'll just be alone…me and my hand. "

"G, what happened?"

"I was doggin this coed tonight and she was sending out all the signals when I realized she was probably a virgin."

"Oh and you had sex?"

"No, that's just it. I didn't."

Maia started to giggle. "You had a flash of consciousness?"

"Do you have to hurt my feelings? Ugh, I guess I did, but I could have tapped that."

"Ewww, aren't you the man? Yeah you could have, but you did the right thing. Sex for you is just sex. For her, the first time is going to be a memory she has all her life. It should be with someone she knows and trusts, not a one night stand."

"Oh God, you're so pathetically romantic. She's going to get her cherry popped, bleed a little, hurt a little, hardly something she'll want to remember."

"We all remember our first one…even you. Who was she?"

There was a snort and a pause. He finally laughed, "Cheryl Gideon. Not the hottest in school, but definitely the fastest, unless you count me when I was on top of her." He lay back against the wood headboard and chuckled, "She had these itsby-bitsy titties. I don't know how I managed to get my mouth over her nipples, because I'm pretty sure they were inverted. Didn't matter. I was seventeen and would have jumped Rosie O'Donnell just to pop my cherry. I was tired of lying about it to my friends."

Maia tried hard not to laugh, but it finally leaked out like toothpaste under pressure and she couldn't stop.

"Hey, I'm paying for you to talk, not laugh at me."

"Speaking of paying, are you ready for a little one on one?"

"I tell you what, you tell me about your first time. Maybe that will suffice."

She stopped laughing and took a deep breath, "Oh, it's boring. You don't want to hear that."

"Come on, I'm a paying customer."

She shook her head to herself, "I was sixteen and a prude. I went to a party with my girlfriends and was suppose to be the designated driver. It was at a frat party off of Nassau in Princeton. My friends teased me constantly and, after a fight with one of them, I had my first Long Island Ice Tea and my second and my third. I woke up with a guy in one of the bedrooms the next day. I was sore between my legs and there was a little blood on my thigh. He was watching me wake up. I started crying. He apologized to me profusely, saying that I seemed to be very willing the night before. His name was Richard Byrd. He was so gentle with me that morning, taking care of me, bringing me breakfast in bed, that I'll be forever grateful. So, although I don't remember the first time, I remember the first guy. He and I dated for two years after that."

"Getting a girl drunk gets you laid eight out of ten times. He was just being smart."

"I don't think so. It was his first time too.'

"Yeah, that's what he told you, because you wanted to hear it."

"No, his previous girlfriend told me she had been willing, but he thought they were too young." Maia propped up some pillows on the couch behind her, "I have a feeling that you were either a God in High School or the Stoner Loner."

House poured a whiskey. "Stoner Loner in high school. Most of my friends were in college. I was in a rock band with four guys who were in college. I didn't spend much time with people my own age. They bored me. I bet you were a cheerleader."

Maia started laughing, "You must be joking. With my mouth? I was just the opposite, the girl everyone made fun of." Maia realized that she had been talking tonight about herself again and not sticking to the usual biography she had made up for Cali. Cali had been a cheerleader and very popular in high school.

House was suspicious, "I have a hard time believing that the woman in the picture wasn't a popular cheerleader in high school." He paused, sitting back in his chair with his legs up, "What do you really look like?"

Maia felt strange. Her heart raced and her palms went clammy. "I'm brunette, twenty-three years old, 5'7" with brown eyes. You've seen the pictures."

"Yeah, now I'm asking what _you_ look like."

"I look like the photo in the magazine except that I'm a year older."

House realized that she wasn't going to come out of character for him so he switched gears, "Cali, what are you wearing?"

Maia smiled to herself, looking down at her bunny shaped slippers and her pink dotted flannel pajamas, "I have on a red satin teddy with black Spanish lace on the edge and around my breasts. It has thin black straps, but they're hidden under my matching robe. I have on little black slippers to keep my feet warm. My breasts are barely covered by the teddy and the bottom is a French cut, showing off my nice firm thighs. What do you have on?"

House looked down at his t-shirt and jeans, "Just my boxers with the little piggies on them."

"What if I stick my warm hand inside the little flap and take your temperature?"

"Why don't you come over and do that? I'd pay you what I pay the other escorts."

Maia had no intention of going over, but she was curious, "What do you pay them?"

"$300 if they talk, $400 if they shut up."

Maia started giggling. "So you'd give me $400 to shut up and screw you?"

House sat up quickly, the alcohol going straight to his brain. His voice was slurred, "No, no…I'd pay you to just come over. If you wanted to put your hands in my boxers, I'd pay you the extra hundred. "

Maia was confused, "You mean you'll pay me $300 to just come over and talk to you?"

"Yeah, hell why not? It'd be nice to look at something pretty."

She quickly realized that he was inviting Cali (Jennifer in real life), the beautiful young woman over, not her. "You know G, I can't do that. You sound nice, but I don't really know you, do I?"

"Cali, you can't get to know me unless you meet me?"

"You know G., I hate it when people are drunk and still logical. When I get drunk, my brain cells take a vacation. Still, I can't come over.Are you married?"

"Would I be asking you over if I was married?"

"Yes, if your wife was away.'

There was a pause, "Okay, touché. No, I'm not married and have no girlfriend."

"Why not? You're obviously straight."

"I've had a crappy few years. My last girlfriend crippled me, literally."

Maia's stomach tightened. She frequently had customers who were paralyzed call her. They seemed to enjoy phone sex. "G, I didn't know you were paralyzed, I would have given you a fantasy tailored to your needs."

He started laughing, "Tailored to my needs? I just _need_ to get my rocks off. Besides, I've got a bum leg, I walk with a cane, not cruise in a wheelchair."

"Oh, I see. What did she do to you?"

"Oh, God. You know, this is an old story. I'm kind of bored with it. It doesn't have a happy ending."

"Not yet. You still have a little life left in you."

"How would you know?"

"I have a feeling you're the kind that doesn't go down without a fight. Now, do you want a fantasy?"

"Wait a minute. First tell me why you do this?"

She laughed, "So I can meet a lot of nice guys." She giggled again, "I do it for the money. I need to make a living."

"Does this pay your tuition and your living expenses?"

Once again Maia had to remind herself that she was Cali. _Why do I keep slipping into my own life with this guy…I've got to stick to the script. _"Yes, it does."

"Cali, do you enjoy doing this?"

_It depends on the man._ "What would you have me say?"

"I would have you say that you despise doing it, except when I call."

She smiled to herself, "Oh G. I hate this life of shame, except of course when it's you shaming me."

He smiled to himself, "That's more like it. Now why don't you get your long brown legs over here."

Maia scratched her head and looked down at her white, Irish feet. "These long, brown legs have to stay here in case other needy cripples call. Wouldn't want them to think I was playing favorites."

"Well, I think I've drunk myself into a deep stupor, so I better get going."

"Okay G, it really was nice talking to you."

His voice softened, "You too."

"Goodnight."

House sat up straight, "_Hey_, by the way…"

"Yes?"

"You owe me two fantasies next time."

"Deal. Good night sweet prince." _Why did I say that?_

"My heart is ever at your service."

Maia swallowed hard. _I know he's replying to Shakespeare with Shakespeare, but what a strange verse to quote? "_Goodnight G."

"Goodnight Cali."

_End June 2 – 12:58 am. 1 hour 35 minutes._

Maia looked out the window and wondered where G-man lived. It had been raining hard; the windows were streaming with rivulets of water. It seemed odd that G-man could be her next door neighbor (_hardly)_ or sitting in a room hundreds of miles away. He sounded so lonely, almost as lonely as she felt. Her mind tried to imagine what he looked like. She decided to go with short, roly-poly and buck teeth, just so she wouldn't be disappointed if by some strange coincidence they met. Maia heard a gunshot somewhere in the neighborhood along with several dogs barking. It brought her back to the present. She looked out, saw nothing, turned off the light and went to bed.


	7. Chapter 3 Part 3

Sometimes Maia helped the people in the neighborhood fill out legal forms. She couldn't give them legal advice, but she could read the forms and ask the questions and fill them out properly. Occasionally she'd get paid a few dollars or someone would give her something in exchange. The Umbatu's cleaned her apartment; Penny baked her casseroles; Marla gave her a telephone card; but she never asked for payment. Her neighbors were as broke as she was. The neighborhood was teeming with people working two jobs and still getting evicted.

Phil showed up one afternoon with a man who had legal forms to fill out. Maia had just returned from a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and was feeling somewhat depressed. One of her favorite members, a circus clown, had just gone on a bender.

Phil lead the average sized man with a mole on his face, into the apartment and sat him down at the little dining table. Maia could tell the man was Italian from his looks and the St. Joseph medallion he wore on a chain.

Phil looked at Maia, "Can you help Joey fill these out?"

"Let me see." Maia took the papers and looked at them. They were forms from the family court. At the top was the case number and name,_Maglione__ v. __Maglione_"You have a lawyer, why not ask him for help?"

"The lawyer told me to fill these out myself, but I don't really understand them." The man spoke with a heavy Jersey accent. He started pointing at the papers, "She wants child support. How much can she get from me?"

Maia knew that the lawyer had probably handed the documents to the client and told him to fill them out himself because the lawyer didn't want to be a party to fraud. Most clients tried to hide their assets. "I can't advise you about that since I'm not an attorney anymore. But you have to fill in the form truthfully. It's asking you for your bank and stock accounts and how much are in them."

Joey looked at Phil, "Do I have to put down my accounts in New York and the Caymans too?"

Phil shrugged his shoulders and looked at Maia.

Maia knew she couldn't advise the man, but she could read to him what the form said, "It says that you have to list _all_ of your accounts."

"Yeah, but they won't know about the New York and Cayman accounts unless I put them down, right?"

Maia sneered at him with disgust, "_I'll know_." She looked from the man to Phil and back, "This_ is_ your child you know."

Joey gave Maia a cold stare then turned to confront Phil, "Hey, is she going to tell the court about my accounts?"

Phil shook his head as he glanced briefly at Maia with frustration, "Of course not."

"I think I'll take my forms and fill them out at home." Joey grabbed the documents from Maia and held them close to his chest. "Thanks anyway." He glared sharply at Maia as he sauntered out of the apartment.

Phil slammed a fist on the table, "Jesus Christ, he was going to pay you $75 to fill those out! Damn it Maia, if he wants to hide his money, that's up to him. You can't afford to have principals. You're living hand to mouth."

Maia laughed, "I'm doing okay. My clientele is building up."

He shook his head, "It would be so much easier if you would just play along."

"Oh come on. The guy wants to cheat his kid out of money. I can't be a party to that."

He was "Oh God, no…you can't do that! Hell, you defrauded half the town Jonesing for your next fix. Now you get on your high horse? Now you have a conscience?"

Maia balled her fist and clenched her jaw. "You're never going to let me live that down are you? Why do you even stay with me if you can't put the past behind us? I spent twelve years as a good, honest, moral attorney. I screwed it up in less than two years over a drug. I've worked hard to beat this. But everyone always pushes me back, rubs my nose in it."

Maia grabbed her coat and gloves, shook her head in disappointment and ran out the door. She just wanted to get her blood pressure down and the best way to do it was to walk it out. She took off down the street towards the University, walking at a fast clip. She walked and walked until she was tired. It was times like this that she felt the loneliness, like a cold wind blasting her face. Maia found a bench under a tree with no bird crap on it. She sat and watched the late afternoon sky turn a grayish pink. Thanksgiving was in two days and fall was feeling more like winter all the time.

_I'm such a loser. I had it all--big loft, nice car, successful practice, friends, clients, vacation condo __in__ Newport Beach. People cared about me and one by one I pushed them away. _Maia looked up at the almost bare trees. _Well, I never felt lonely when I was snorting. Man, I could use some snow. Just go on a sleigh ride with a half piece. I wouldn't have to feel like this. Maybe a quarter…how much do I have at home? $50…I've got $50…that would get me through – __mmm__ -- __hell, that__ would get me through half an hour. Go home Maia, stop this nonsense._

Maia made her way home, finding Phil watching television when she got back to the apartment. He had a studio, but he rarely went home. He spent most of his time at Maia's.

He looked up, his eyes searching to determine if it was safe to speak to her, "Hey."

She gave a brief, forgiving smile, "Hi."

"I ordered a pizza."

"Great."

He patted the sofa next to him. Maia hung up her coat and sat down next to him.

Phil ran his hand over his bald spot, "We okay?"

Maia nodded.

He put his hand on her knee, "Maia, about Thanksgiving, I really am sorry that you can't come with me. But my sister still has problems with what you did. And, since it is her house, I can't exactly tell her to stuff it."

"I didn't do it to her, I screwed her friend over."

"Yeah, well she's close to her friend."

"I paid him back the money I took out of the trust account…I paid _everyone_ back. I went broke making it right and paying off all the judgments against me. I could have gone bankrupt and left everyone high and dry. But I didn't. I sold _everything_ and paid everyone off."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's not rehash that. But still, she had egg on her face for recommending you."

"Like I said earlier, no one's going to let me forget, are they?" Maia shifted her weight away from Phil. _I don't know why I keep trying; I'll always be the attorney with the snow problem. __The screw up.__ I might as well enjoy it. I wonder if I can get my dealer to give me some on __credit?_

"Give it time." Phil said.

Maia rolled her eyes, "Right. You know, I've paid through the nose for what I did. I've tried to go straight, give up the snow, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on my reputation. No one seems to give me credit for it."

Phil looked at Maia with his eyebrows knitted and eyes narrowed in disgust, "Grow up Maia, you can't expect your past to be erased by a year of good behavior."

_Yes, I do. I've given up my former life and given up my favorite pastime and I don't seem to get any brownie points for it. Just forget it Maia…Phil won't understand. _"Yeah, I guess."

Dinner arrived. They ate in silence in front of the television. Around nine, Maia stood up and took their plates into the kitchen to rinse. She turned around and smiled, "I'm beat. I'm going to bed to do some reading."

"Okay, I'm going to go home tonight. I have to be up early to drive down to Atlantic City to serve a guy. I'll say goodnight, honey." He walked over and gave Maia a hug. "I'm sorry about Thanksgiving. Where are you going to spend it?"

"Oh, I was asked over by Marcy, but Thanksgiving is a big phone day…guys get bored after the games and a few beers. They start to call. I'll probably stay home and make some money."

He gave her a look of suspicion. "Go over to Marcy's."

_Yeah, sure.__ She'd be surprised. There was no invitation. I just don't want to admit that no one bothered to invite me to Thanksgiving…and you don't care enough to stay home, knowing I might be alone. So just get out of here._ "Maybe. Well, get some sleep and drive safely." She reached up a little and kissed him goodnight before walking him to the door and locking it when he left.

_Great, he's gone…what a relief. Now, I wonder if there's any snow in any of my old suit pockets._ Maia walked into her bedroom and opened the closet door. Most of her suits were packed away in a box at the bottom of the closet. She didn't have any use for them anymore. She ripped open the box and started a frantic search in each of the pockets, praying each time she found a piece of paper that it was folded and contained a hit of snow._ Eureka! Oh, man. I'd recognize the feel of a folded square of snow anywhere._ Maia pulled the paper out of the gray wool blazer and smiled to herself. She went over and sat on the side of her bed, opening the square slowly, relishing what she knew she'd find. The white powder was fine and clean. It was enough to get her high for tonight, but tomorrow she'd have to scrape up the money for a real hit. The white powder was fine and clean. It was enough to get her high for tonight, but tomorrow she'd have to scrape up the money for a real hit.


	8. Chapter 3 Part 4

The phone rang. She debated between picking it up or letting it ring through to her answering machine. _I need the money. I especially need the money if I'm going to have to buy half a hit…Manny won't sell me a quarter…he only did that once for me._

November 21, 9:39 pm

"Hi. My name's Cali, what's yours?"

"It's G-man, I'm hitting the pound sign to let you know I accept your terms of $3.95 a minute."

_Why am I happy to hear that voice? God I'm glad I picked up. I wonder if he'd wait while I snort my __hit?_

"Cali? Are you there?"

Maia looked at the paper holding the powder and then the receiver. She put the hit on the side table. "I'm here G-man. I'm here."

House paused, something was wrong. "You sound distracted."

"It's been a rough day."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had some unfinished business at work, but I can't deal with it until tomorrow anyway, so I came home to eat and sleep."

She chuckled, "And get off."

_I'm too tired to beat off. Christ why did I call her? It doesn't make sense._ "Yeah, and to get off."

"I think I owe you two fantasies."

He unconsciously sighed into the receiver, "Yeah, so you do. But, before you do that, what made your day so bad?"

Her shoulders fell. Maia didn't really want to relive her feelings of frustration, loneliness, anger, abandonment. But he sounded curious, "I'm going to be alone for Thanksgiving. It seems as if my past has made me a pariah. No matter what I do, people keep reliving my past, rubbing it in."

"Don't you have family?"

"My Dad is dead. My mother remarried and my step-dad hates me. He loves to rub my nose into my mistakes so we haven't spoken in three years. My only sibling lives in Argentina. My Mom, aunts and uncles are all in Florida now."

"What about friends?"

Maia put a hand over her eyes and almost started to cry, "Part of my past is what I did to my friends. I'm persona non grata around them." She swallowed hard holding back her emotions, "Hey, I did it to myself. I left myself cycle out of control and now I'm paying for it." Maia looked at the white powder in the paper square and felt guilt seep into her pores. _It's exactly what everyone expects of me, to backslide._

"What about you G-man? Have you ever disappointed your friends and family?"

He laughed so wickedly it threw Maia for a loop, "My friends and family have no expectations of me, so I don't disappoint them." He paused, "They expect the worse from me."

She detected a hint of sadness behind the laughter. _He wants to be loved, to have people care, but he can't let them for some reason. _"I don't."

"Yeah," he chortled, "I'm paying you not to. You would if you knew me."

"Why would you disappoint me?"

"I'm blunt with the truth and devious with lies. I have little patience with 'trying to get in touch" with my feelings. And I am a manipulative son of a bitch, according to one employee."

_He's just described half the lawyers in town._ "Well, maybe you are. Do you enjoy who you are?"

"Most of the time. Sometimes though, when I know that I'm alone because of who I am, it…" House felt overwhelmingly sad, "It can get to me."

"I know what you mean. It got to me today and I was just about to do something really stupid. Something that would have proven to everyone what a loser I am." Maia stood up, the receiver tucked in her chin, and grabbed the square of paper. She walked to the bathroom and threw it in the toilet. She flushed, watching the paper twirl in the vortex of the water as it disappeared down the drain.

"Did you just flush the toilet?" House accused.

Maia laughed, "Don't worry, I wasn't on the pot talking to you. I just flushed temptation away."

"Drugs? I mean, besides human waste, the only thing really tempting that can be flushed down the toilet are drugs. Unless you're really a 300 lb. whale and you just flushed a chocolate malt."

"Damn, you're good."

He chuckled, "Which was it? The drugs or the malt?"

"You've seen my picture, you decide."

He smiled, "Ah, so you have a drug problem?"

_Had, I had a drug problem. Now I have a sobriety problem. Now I have to learn to like who I am sober._ "I've been clean for a long time now."_ The last fifteen months seem like a __helluv__ a long time._

He shook his head, "Once an addict, always an addict."

Maia felt the sting of his words. _Et__tu__ Brute? No kudos from you either for managing to stay clean?_ "Maybe. Gosh G-man, I've just had an emergency come up. I'm going to credit you for this call. I promise to owe you three fantasies next time, but I have to go." _I can't stand you judging me too…at least not tonight._

He was tired, but hadn't really wanted sex. This was perfect. He didn't have to pay. "Sure, I'll talk to you soon. Bye Cali."

"Goodnight, G-Man." She hung up.

_November 21, 9:58 pm_

_She's upset over something I said_. _Telling her that she was an addict? She had said that no one let her live her past down._ _What did I do? I just did what the others had done._ _I'll call her back._ House dialed her number and was disappointed when it rang through to voice mail. He hung up and went to bed.

Maia switched the phone to voice mail and grabbed her coat. She needed to walk, to get the desire for snow out of her mind. It always helped to walk. He put on a hat, coat and gloves and took off. As soon as she reached the sidewalk she realized what a stupid idea it was. This neighborhood was rough in the daylight, forget about the night. But Maia needed to walk, had to walk or she'd call her dealer. She forged ahead, suspicious of every noise and movement in the neighborhood. The fear quickly took her mind off the blow. After just half an hour, Maia was back in bed and ready for sleep.

House woke up to the phone ringing. He yelled into the receiver, "_What?"_

"You don't have to bite my head off. I'm just calling to see if you changed your mind? I'm sure my parents will be happy to set another plate at the table." Wilson suggested.

"They don't serve ham. I don't go anywhere on Thanksgiving where there isn't a Honeybaked Ham."

"We have turkey, can't you be like everyone else and join us? You've got a lot to be thankful for…you survived another year."

"I'll be grateful for a few hours more in bed. Tell the Wilsons that I'm giving thanks that they're taking you off my hands for a day."

"Okay, have it your way. Happy Thanksgiving House."

"Gobble, gobble."

House eventually got up, started the coffee and looked out the window. The streets were deserted except for the parked cars. Families were obviously huddled in their houses having their turkey dinners and watching the football games. House went into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of cereal and a glass of whiskey. He sat down, turned on the television and then finished his cereal. He turned on a bowl game and watched until it became a runaway by the Trojans.

He turned on a movie, watching it until the phone rang next to him. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hi honey, it's Mom."

He smiled, "Mom, how are you?"

"Okay, I've had some problems with my knees, but I'm getting old. Ha, ha. How are you sweetie?"

"I'm fine, just watching some television."

"Don't you have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, I just got back from Wilson's parents. We had turkey and all the trimmings."

"Oh, I forget you're three hours ahead of us. We're going to sit down for dinner in a few minutes but I wanted to call first. Your aunt Sarah says hello and your Dad wants to say hi."

House took a deep breath. "Give my love to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Martin. Are any of the cousins there?"

"Karen and Barb are here with their kids. Jeff didn't make it this year; he went to his wife's parents. They try and trade each year. Are you keeping busy?"

"Yeah, very. I've had more patients this year than usual. I'm getting more and more referrals."

"That's good isn't it?"

"Sure…it doesn't hurt. It's great. I'm doing well at work."

"Really?" She sounded suspicious.

"Really."

House heard a click, "Hey son, how are ya doing?" House heard his father's booming voice.

"I'm well Dad."

"When are you going to come out and see us?"

House put his forehead in his hand, "I don't know Dad. I was just telling Mom that I'm busier now."

"Well, we should be passing through your way next spring. They're having a reunion of my Nam platoon in Washington D.C. around Memorial Day. Your Mom and I are going to swing by and spend a few days with you."

House rolled his eyes and nodded to himself, "Great. Well, I better let you guys get back to your dinner."

His father sounded as if he was in a hurry to get back to the game, "Take care son. We miss you."

"Goodbye Honey. Happy Thanksgiving," His mother added.

"Bye Mom, Dad. I love you."

His Mom said, her voice soft and comforting, "We love you honey. Bye."

The phone went dead.

House leaned forward over the coffee table and stared at the amber liquor in his tumbler. He felt empty.

He looked at the phone. _I'm not calling her; she hung up on me last time. She doesn't want my money so to hell with that. Let's see if Paula or Cheryl is available._ House went to the desk and opened the drawer, pulling out a card for _Coed Escorts_. He dialed the number.

"You've reached Coed Escorts. We're not available today, our escorts are enjoying the Thanksgiving Holidays with their family and friends. Please call back Friday and have a happy holiday."

He hung up. No escorts for one of the loneliest days of the year? _I should have gotten Paula's direct number._

House went over and picked up the remote, scanning his recorded programs and looking through the channel menu. Nothing piqued his interest. He knew that what he really wanted was to call her. Maybe he just wanted to call her because she had hung up on him. Whatever the reason, he wanted to talk to her.


	9. Chapter 3 Part 5

Maia was watching television and eating sunflower seeds. She had just finished a bowl of tomato soup and was considering baking some brownies. _Dexter_ was just starting to get interesting when she heard her work phone ring.

She had told Phil that Thanksgiving would be busy, but that wasn't true. People typically didn't call her on holidays because they were usually being held captive by their families at the dinner table or in front of the television sleeping. She muted the television and ran to the phone in her bedroom, grabbing it on the third ring. She cleared her throat and answered the line.

_November 24__th__, 10:12 pm._

"Hi. My name's Cali, what's yours?"

"Hi."

Maia smiled to herself. "G-man? Is that you?" Her voice was happy and bubbly. She was excited that he had called back. She didn't think he would.

"I agree by hitting the pound sign to pay you $3.95 a minute for your services."

_He sounds really glum, maybe even pissed. Is he mad at me?_

"G, I want to apologize for the other night. It was terribly unprofessional of me. I'm very embarrassed."

"You should be. I almost didn't call. But you promised me three fantasies. "

"Well, Thanksgiving is a great time to be thankful for a lot of things. The most thankful I ever was, was on a Thanksgiving morning when my cousin, who I hadn't seen in ten years, arrived for dinner. He was really polite to my father, helped my mother in the kitchen. After dinner my parents excused us and we went outside. He was a good looking 19 year old and I had just turned 18. We walked down to the park and he pulled my arm practically off dragging me into the woods. I giggled the whole way. I have to admit, he was so cute, all I could think of all day was his beautiful hands. They weren't a boy's hands, they were those of a man. But they weren't thick or stubby, they were long and graceful. The hands you expect to find playing a violin or piano.

He whispered to me, "You know they say that you can tell how big a dick is by how long a guy's fingers are."

Well, of course I had heard that. It was the idle gossip of every girl in high school. We'd look at each of the boys hands and giggle when we'd see someone with unusually long or sadly stubby hands.

Now, Taddy, that was his name, he took his hands and rubbed them across my face and down my shoulder. He brushed over my nipple and grabbed me between the thighs. I was shocked to say the least. He murmured into my shoulder, "Cali, let me show you that it's true. Take those jeans off and I'll show you that it's true."

I'd only been with one guy back then, but for some reason, I was hot and wet. I wanted him to show me something, anything, as long as it involved his fingers on my crotch. I took my levis off, somewhat embarrassed by the little teddy bear bikini panties I had on. He laughed when he saw them. He pulled my teddy bear panties down and felt between my legs. I was so wet by then, I didn't need any lubricant.

"Oh God Cali, you're so hot. Can I stick it in you now?"

"I don't think you should unless you have a rubber." I guess all that health ed paid off, because I did think about birth control. He was almost bursting out of his jeans. I could see the bulge and he was breathing heavy.

"Can I just look at your breasts?"

I thought it was the least I could do for him. I unbuttoned my shirt and reached around to undo my bra. I pulled the bra off and I heard him moan.

"Cali, you're going to have to suck me, I can't take much more. I need to get off."

I nodded and sat up on my knees, unzipped his levis and pulled it out. It wasn't particularly thick, but I had to admit, it was long just like his fingers. I hadn't given a blow job to anyone before, but he didn't seem to care. He stuck his erection in my mouth and started to thrust up, hitting the back of my throat as he did. I thought I was going to gag when all of a sudden, he stopped. He pushed me down and started to rub his penis between my breasts.

He could barely talk, he croaked out, "Push them together, push your breasts together.'

I did as he told me, I squeezed my breasts over his very hard erection like a hotdog bun. He started rubbing over and over until he cried out. He came all over my chest, even squirting a little up onto my lips. I tasted it and it was salty, bitter. He collapsed and I heard this tittering coming from behind me. It was my teenage cousins and they had just witnessed the entire event."

House chuckled.

Maia listened to his breathing. _It wasn't enough, he didn't come. _"Are you ready for another fantasy? "

"That was interesting. Did you have Thanksgiving dinner?"

Maia was shocked, he didn't seem interested in the fantasy. "Uh, yeah, I just got back. I just finished my Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, cranberry, mashed potatoes, you know the drill. What about you?"

"My family isn't here, I had cereal for dinner."

She chuckled. "I have a confession; I just had a bowl of soup for dinner. As you know, I have no family here. It was just me, so why cook a turkey?"

"No last minute offers from your former friends?"

Maia didn't say anything. _I already sound pathetic._

He snickered, "Wow. At least I have a friend who invited me over. Man, was it the drugs? What did you do when you were high to alienate everyone in your life?"

She didn't know how to answer that. "You know, maybe some of them alienated me. It could have been them."

He started to chuckle, "Right, that's exactly how it went down, dozens of people are the ones who alienated you."

Maia's voice grew defensive, "Do you want your fantasy or not?"

"Cali? Do you like what you're doing?"

"I like it better than starving."

"I thought you were a coed? Can't you find work in your field?"

"Nothing that pays the bills."

"So you have to support yourself? Don't you have a boyfriend…you look like you should have one."

"G. I just don't want to share that right now. Do you want another fantasy?"

"The last one was lame," he said.

"What about a nurse fantasy?"

"Been there, done them. What about coffee?"

She didn't get it at first, not sure what he meant. "Coffee? Uh, you want one with the coffee poured on me or on you or what?"

"No moron, I wanted to know if you wanted to meet for coffee."

She gasped, sputtering into the receiver, "G. I'm not allowed to do that, it's not a good idea."

"Look, I just thought you might be a little lonely today."

Maia tried to make the best of it, "Thank you. That's really kind of you, but I have to work. Besides I'm not good company when I'm sad."

"What do you do when you're sad?"

"I sing and then the whole world is sad with me."

He chuckled, "Okay. Then tell me a fantasy about you and me in a row boat on Lake Carnegie."

"I'm out in a rather old row boat on the lake. It's a spring day and I went for a morning row, but the boat is starting to leak. I'm rowing as fast as I can back to shore, but it's going down fast. You're doing some rowing too, morning exercise. You see that I'm in trouble so you rush over to my aid, helping me out of the water and into your boat. I'm wet and a little chilly. You can see my nipples through the t-shirt. The only thing you have on is a t-shirt and shorts. You pull the tee off and offer it to me. I ask you to turn your head as I take off my wet one. I pull it up and off. My sports bra is soaked and see-through. You sneak a look as I take it off, my breasts bouncing as they're released from the bra. I put on your sweaty t-shirt and can't help but think it has a manly, sexy smell. You start to row back to the dock, but I suggest you go ahead and finish your workout, I'm not going to go anywhere and the boat is sunk no matter what. So you agree. You row down the lake as we talk. We're laughing at me sinking a row boat. I keep smelling your shirt and with all the laughing and flirting, I'm getting turned on. I can see that you are too.

I ask if you'll let me row. You say okay and as we exchange seats, your arm brushes my breasts, sending a fire through both of us. We sit back down and as I row, my breasts bounce. You start getting hard and have to adjust your posture to accommodate what's going on. You can't hide it anymore and I don't want you too.

I tell you that I need to find a way to thank you. You're thinking of lots of ways I could thank you, but say nothing. I decide the best way is to put the oars down. You look at me, wondering what I'm doing. I tell you that I should give you back your t-shirt so you don't get cold. You tell me I can keep it, but I insist. I pull the shirt off, my breasts spilling out, nipples pointing at you. You stare at my perky, large breasts with plump brown nipples. You start breathing hard as I continue to row a little. I smile at your obvious discomfort. You're so hard I have to take pity on you. I put the oars down and then kneel down in the space between us. I tell you to take your shorts off. As soon as you remove them, I begin to lick at the base of your throbbing erection. We're under the bridge, but if someone drives into the lake parking lot, they'd have a great view. You have a little semen on the top which I lick off, rimming you with my tongue. I start to suck you harder and harder, until you start moaning. The boat is rocking from you thrusting up into my mouth. You reach down and grab my breast, pinching my nipple. You pull me up slip my shorts down, turn me around so that I'm facing away from you and sit me down on top of your slick dick. You reach around and grab my tits and without much fanfare, you slide into me. I'm in a crouched position so I use my knees to slide up and down on your glorious had on. You buck up as you scream out, it echoing under the bridge. We can see two guys from the University rowing our way, but neither of us can stop. It feels to good to stop. You can see that the guys are watching us, their mouths dropped, eyes wide open. I can feel you stab quickly over and over as you come. You stop but you're still a little hard so you continue to play with my clit until I start screaming, begging you not to stop. When my orgasm peaks you thrust hard one more time and I collapse back into your arms. The two guys pass by while we're still joined and breathing hard. They offer a foursome, but you wrap your arms around my breasts to keep them to yourself and shake your head no."

By the end of the fantasy , they were both breathing heavily and she could tell from the quiet grunting that he had come. She was relieved that he had gotten off.

"I'm going to go now Cali"

"Okay G. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Bye."

"Bye G."

_End 12:09 am._

She hung up the phone and went back to her bedroom, pulling out the vibrator from the lower drawer of her night stand. She slipped her pajama bottoms down and cranked the vibrator up. She leaned back, letting the vibrations run through her body. In her mind she heard his voice lulling her, caressing her, making her come faster than she'd ever come before. She realized then, she had a crush on a voice.


	10. Chapter 4 I'll Have a Blue Christmas

**Chapter 4**

**I'll ****Have**** a Blue Christmas **

Every time the client phone rang, Maia ran, hoping it was G. Man, but he didn't call. Maia ended up in bed the week before Christmas with a fever and fighting off the flu. It didn't help that she and Phil had started fighting. He thought she was acting weird lately, somewhat distant. She felt tired and didn't want to go anywhere.

"You just mope around, nap, and get weepy. I can't stand your mood swings anymore." He yelled in the middle of one of their heated battles.

"I feel like crap. I don't feel like going out anywhere. Jesus, it's not like I enjoy feeling like this."

"If you feel like crap, go to a doctor."

"Gee and where am I supposed to get money for this doctor?"

"You've been a lawyer too long. There's a free clinic at PPTH."

"Really?" Maia stopped screaming. "I didn't know that. Okay. If I still feel like crap after Christmas I'll go in and get checked."

Phil shook his head. "I don't know Maia. I don't think you're physically sick. I think you're depressed. I think you need a shrink."

"Gee, thanks Phil, but in case you forgot, I've got a fever."

They both calmed down and after some quiet time, she went over and sat down next to him. Around ten he stood up.

"I've got two subpoenas to serve tonight on some dodgers. I'll go on home after that."

Maia nodded, "Oh, you know that Joey? The guy with the forms? He left an envelope here with account papers in it for those accounts. They're on the table. "

"Ah, forget about it. Just mail them back. I don't have time to drive down to Atlantic City to give them back."

"Atlantic City?"

"Yeah he moved. Look, I'm sorry I went off on you that day. I know you're a good person. I know you've changed."

She smiled and patted him on the back.

He left and Maia had to admit to herself that she was glad. She took several short calls, got the guys off and went to bed. Around 4 am she woke and started throwing up again. She went to bed and didn't get up until Christmas Eve. Phil had come back over to spend Christmas Eve, but saw she was asleep so he made himself at home in front of the television. Wrapped in her robe and slippers, Maia made an appearance, slowly making her way out in the kitchen.

"I see you've decided to grace me with your presence." He said somewhat agitated.

She frowned. "Phil, I'm not really feeling well enough to get into it with you tonight. Are you staying over?"

He looked at her, his lips turned down, "I don't think so, I just stopped by to wish you a Merry Christmas. I don't want to catch what you have. I have a big week at work coming up. Dayton & Kerry just hired me to serve thirty subpoenas." He grabbed his keys, "You know, I think I'll be going now so that you can go back to bed. I'll call you tomorrow night from my sisters." He pecked her cheek, picked up his coat and left.

Realizing that Phil wasn't going to spend Christmas with her, Maia felt even worse. She looked in the corner and saw the undecorated tree with a small gift under it. Although she had managed to buy the tree, Maia hadn't felt well enough to decorate it. There wasn't enough money for gifts or a big meal, so it seemed only fitting to treat Christmas as just another day. She walked over, picked up the gift, _To Maia, Love Phil._ Opening the present, she snickered. It was a book, "_Words of Wisdom for Times of Trouble."_ She shook her head_. I wish he had just given me the $12.95._

It was 2 am when she woke up with cramps, the muscles in her groin clamping down against her nerves, sending excruciating pain through her body. She got up and tried to walk, but kept doubling over. She took some Motrin and sat down with a heating pad. The nausea took over and she started throwing up again. Maia tried to lay down, but the cramping got worse. Around 4 am she went into the bathroom and discovered that her panties were bloody. She cleaned up and put on a Kotex. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

She went over to the phone and called Phil.

A sleepy voice answered, "Hello?"

"Phil." She said breathlessly.

In the background she heard someone, a woman asking who was on the phone in a whispery voice. She heard Phil shush her.

"Maia? Are you okay?"

She was confused. _Who was that? _"Phil, I've got cramps…I thought maybe you could…" Maia paused, the reality of what she had just heard sunk in. He had company, female company. "Oh, don't worry about it, I'm feeling better. The cramps are leaving. I'm sorry I called, go back to sleep."

Maia hung up and went to get her purse and keys. Putting on her jacket, she took off in a cab for the emergency room. Getting out of the back, Maia doubled over, continuing to make her way into the emergency room. It was full of people with cuts, sniffles and different maladies. She checked in and was told to take a seat in one of the orange plastic bucket seats facing the television, which was turned off.

Around 5:45 am she was taken back to emergency. A young, blonde, female doctor started a pelvic examination. The pain was worse than any period she had ever had. The bleeding was non-stop at this point. The doctor came up to her side, "You're having a miscarriage. Did you know you were pregnant?"

Maia was so stunned she just stared at the doctor. Her eyes started welling up. "I'm pregnant?"

Dr. Cameron shook her head slowly, "I'm afraid you _were_ pregnant. You've lost the baby. Were you trying to get pregnant?"

Maia was staring off into space. She simply shook her head as her bottom lip started to tremble.

"We should probably do a D & C to move it along and make sure nothing is left behind to cause an infection. Then we'll send you home. Do you have someone who can come down and give you a ride home?"

"Yeah. I'll call my friend."

"There's a phone by the bed, just dial 9 to get out. Your friend should come around nine to pick you up. We'll do the D & C and then wait an hour to make sure you don't hemorrhage. One of the nurses will be back to prep you."

She left and all Maia could do was curl up on the bed and start to weep. This had to classify as the worst Christmas ever. The D & C was over in less than an hour. They placed her in a bed and after an hour gave her painkillers and indicated she could leave. It was only 8:15 am and Phil said he'd be there at 9:00 am, he had to do something first.

Maia sat out on the concrete bench waiting for Phil to pull up. It was cold and she was both groggy and in pain, but she waited. She watched as a man pulled up and parked in a handicap spot close to the hospital. He got out and pulled out a cane, hobbling across the crosswalk. As he passed her he looked in her eyes. He didn't smile and he didn't frown, he just regarded her as an object of curiosity. Maia thought he had the most beautiful blue eyes she had seen in a long time and that there was something familiar about him. She had seen him somewhere before.

Phil pulled up in his van and Maia got inside. She closed the door, but said nothing.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him as if he was a lunatic. "No. I'm not okay."

"What did the doctor say was wrong?"

"Pregnancy…I was tired and sick because I was pregnant."

"Ah Fuck! You're pregnant? How? We always use your diaphragm or a condom. Christ, this couldn't come at a worst time."

Maia rested her head back on the seat, "Really? This isn't convenient for you?"

He was angry, "_Yeah, really._ You know things haven't been working between us. I…I was going to talk to you."

"Tell me that you're seeing someone else?"

Phil went quiet. He shook his head and clenched his jaw. "Maia, I'm sorry, but I just don't love you. I don't think I ever did. I'll help with the baby, but maybe you should have an abortion."

She looked out the window as they pulled up outside of her apartment. They sat for a few seconds in silence. Maia turned and looked Phil in the eye, "I had a miscarriage this morning. It seems as if I can't even get a pregnancy right. You don't have to worry about a thing. It's a clean slate between us Phil. I'm not pregnant anymore and you've found someone you love. Life goes on. Thanks for picking me up from the hospital. I won't keep you any longer."

He got out and came around to her side of the car. "Maia, let me help you inside."

She turned and calmly said, "It's okay. I don't need help."

He followed her up the steps and into the hall. She turned and in a firm voice repeated, "_I don't need help."_

He looked down at his feet, "I uh, I wanted to get some of my things if that's okay with you."

She drew in a sharp breath, finally realizing that he wasn't trying to be nice, he was just cutting his ties to her. Inside, Maia put her purse down and took off her jacket as Phil grabbed an empty plastic bag and started filling it with CDs and DVDs. Maia shook her head and went back to the bathroom, changed her Kotex and went to bed.

Fifteen minutes later he came into the bedroom and started rummaging through the drawers. Quietly, Phil approached the bed, grabbing the alarm clock and his pillow. Maia tried to sleep but couldn't with him making so much noise. The front door finally closed. She got up and went to get some water to take another pain pill. Looking out into the living room, she was shocked. It looked like she had been burglarized. The television was gone, but the cheap (back of the truck) DVD player she had bought was still there. All that was left of the stereo were a couple of wires. The coffee maker was gone along with most of the pots and pans. She hadn't realized how much of the stuff around the house had been Phil's. When her life had fallen apart she had to auction or sell most of her things. Maia could have sworn he gave the television to her for her birthday, but maybe not. She smiled; Phil always knew the value of a dollar. If he couldn't use the tv, she knew he'd sell it.

Maia slept for the next ten hours, courtesy of the Vicodin by her bedside. When she awoke, she looked at the ceiling and realized it was still Christmas. It was 7:00 pm on Christmas Night. Hunger knawed at her. She got up and took a shower, then went out to the refrigerator. It was only after staring at the bare counter, trying to figure out what was wrong with the picture, then she realized the microwave was gone.

_Crap!_

Maia grabbed a piece of French bread and went back to bed, remembering the Christmases before surrounded by friends, phone calls to family, gifts for everyone. She remembered the ski trips the day after and the checks she wrote to charities. She remembered what Christmas was like before she started snorting. Maia started praying.

"God, I'm hoping this is rock bottom because I don't think I can take anymore of your obligatory lessons."

* * *

House smiled at Wilson, "Damn, listen to him play."

Wilson nodded and smiled back, "I'm glad you like it."

House nodded.

"Thanks for my gift too. I haven't seen the last season yet. I hear the ending is different." Wilson was reading the back of the Final Season DVDs of the Sopranos. "Are you sure you don't want to go with me to drop off Cuddy's gift?"

House shook his head. "No, I want to stay and listen to my Son House cds. You skiddaddle. I'll see you tomorrow. What time are you going in to work?"

Wilson shrugged his shoulders, "It's always an easy week after Christmas, probably 9:00 am."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

House escorted Wilson to the door.

"Merry Christmas House."

"Happy Festivus Wilson."

They gave each other smiles and Wilson went on his way.

House closed the door and walked back inside, sat down and put his headphones on so that he could really hear Son House play. He finished out the CDs and went to bed. As he laid in his bed he wondered how Cali was. He hadn't talked to her since Thanksgiving.

House turned on the light and found her phone number. He picked up the receiver and called her.

December 25th 10:44 pm.

The phone rang, but no one picked up. He put the receiver down and thought to himself. Maybe he had dialed a wrong number. He hadn't even reached a recording. He dialed again.

Maia could hear the phone ring the first time, but couldn't wake herself enough to answer it before it stopped. When the phone rang again, she managed to grab it on the third ring.

Her voice was groggy and low, "Hello?"

He was waiting for her to say, "My name is Cali, what's yours?" When it didn't come he asked, "Cali, is that you?"

"Huh?"

"_Cali! Is that you?"_ he yelled.

"Oh, uh. Yes. This is Cali, can I …"she faded.

House sat up in the bed. "Cali! are you okay?"

She heard his voice, "G man?"

He felt somewhat relieved at the sound of his name. "Yeah, are you okay?"

"Just groggy. I'm on Vicodin."

"How much Vicodin?" He figured she must have taken more than prescribed.

"I'm on my second pill. But, I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to taking pain killers."

"Are you in pain?"

"Not when I'm on the Vicodin."

"Why are you on the Vicodin?"

"It's Christmas. It's the shittiest Christmas of my life."

He could hear a lot of pain in her voice, "Why Cali, why was your Christmas so bad?"

"I found out that I was in the family way."

House winced, "You're pregnant?"

"Well that's the beauty of it. I'm not pregnant." She paused, "I found out I was pregnant and I lost the baby all in the same day."

House was curious, "Did you want the baby?"

She paused and thought, "I don't know. I never got that far."

"What did your boyfriend…or father of the baby say?"

"That he didn't love me. He's found someone else and he took the microwave."

"The microwave?"

"Long story."

"So to recap what happened, you found out you were pregnant; you lost the baby; your boyfriend left you for someone else; it's Christmas; and, you're in so much pain that you had to take Vicodin."

She looked up to the ceiling, "Yeah, I don't think you left anything out…except the microwave…and the tv…and the stereo…and the pillow."

"He took the microwave, stereo, television?"

"They were his."

House started giggling. "I'm sorry, but this reminds me of a bad French farce."

She snickered, "Welcome to my life. After years and years of playing loose with birth control, I finally get pregnant and I don't even get to decide whether to keep it or not."

House chuckled to himself._ Years and years, so she is older than her picture._ House was worried about her. Considering what she went through, giving her a prescription for Vicodin might not have been a good idea. She didn't sound suicidal, but Christmas was a very emotional time for most people.

"Cali, do you want some company?"

"Ah G. I wish I could, but it's not a good idea. Besides, I'm so tired; I just want to sleep. Call me after the New Year, okay?"

He wanted to tell her that if she needed anything, she could call. But he didn't want to risk giving her information about him, especially if she was keen to keep it on a professional basis. "Okay Cali, I'll call you later."

There was a silence as he waited for her to say something.

"G man?"

"Yes?"

"It's pretty pathetic when the only person who cares about you is your sex-client, huh?" There was a long pause, "Good night and… Merry Christmas."

The phone went dead.

December 25th, ended 10:49 pm.

He was worried, sad and confused. _Why do I care what happens to her? She's no one._

House shook his head, got up and took an Ambien and then crawled back in bed.


	11. Chapter 4 Part 2

The next day Maia was surprised to receive a large package in the mail. It was addressed to her with a return address of her former associate, Michael Cole. She had hired Michael straight out of law school, teaching him the ropes and making him comfortable with a good salary and bonuses. When her life crashed, he got in the way of the fallout. He no longer had a job and, no one would give him a job at first, afraid he might be doing coke too. Michael lost his home after months of unemployment. The last time Maia had seen him was at the State Bar Disciplinary Board. He was coming out as she was being shuffled in, strung out from detoxing.

Maia assumed that Michael must have taken pity on her and sent her something for Christmas. Inside were a dozen fresh pears from one of the mail order stores. She sat down and ate a couple of them all at once. They were fresh and juicy, the juice running down her hand to her elbow. She was touched. It was the first sign that maybe her life had turned around, that someone might care. She desperately needed something to cling onto. And this little present was a life raft. Over the next week, every time she ate a pear, she was hopeful. Maia sat down and wrote Mike a thank you card.

_Dear Mike,_

_I received your gift and can't thank you enough for your kindness. I know that my actions caused you great distress and financial strain. I was sad when I had to let everyone in the firm go without warning. I was especially sad for you since you had just had Tina (I hope she's well. She'd be two by now, right?). I have paid a heavy price for my stupidity and inconsiderate actions. I can't tell you how much it means to know that you have forgiven me and have sent me this gift as a token of your forgiveness. When I get on my feet again, I'd like to do something for you and your family. I promise you that I will pay you back somehow. In the meantime, I hope the New Year brings you and your family great things. _

_Thanks,_

_Maia_

Sticking the letter in the mailbox, Maia took the last pear out of her pocket, removed the gold foil and ate it.

Maia managed to service several clients the week between Christmas and New Years to despite feeling like crap. Needing money badly, she worked because there had been a huge slump the beginning of December. She hadn't realized that the holidays would put a dent in her business. Maia was relieved when she'd get a call. from a client; it kept her from dwelling on the fact that she had no one and no television. She didn't know which was worse.

To compound her loneliness, her health deteriorated. She was sure she caught something from one of the kids she babysat a few days after Christmas while their mother went to…well wherever mothers go at nine at night for two hours and then come back sloshed. Maia was racked with constant diarrhea and vomiting over the next few days.

On New Year's Eve, Maia thought she might hear from G-Man, but House and Wilson had gone to Cuddy's New Year's Eve party, not getting home until two in the morning. House thought about calling Maia, but was too drunk to maintain a coherent conversation. He climbed in bed, woke up at noon, took two aspirins and went back to bed.

Maia couldn't keep anything down and soon developed a fever which, over the next few days, escalated to 103 degrees. On the afternoon of January 4th she dragged herself into the free clinic at PPTH. She sat in the waiting area, nodding off, as she waited to see a doctor. When her named was called she dragged herself back to one of the rooms and was told to take a seat on the examination table until the doctor arrived. She sat for a few minutes, her head pounding and her body sinking. Finally, she laid back and fell asleep. Maia woke three hours later in a hospital bed on in room 313 with an IV attached to her arm. She looked at the IV and quickly fell asleep again.

Maia was awakened around seven to have her vitals taken and to talk to the doctor. She opened her eyes and tried to focus, but her eyes burned so much it was hard to keep them open.

"Ms. Connely? My name is Dr. Taub, I'll be one of your doctors. We need to ask you a few questions. We need to get a history from you. Ms. Connely? I need for you to pay attention."

Maia nodded. She mustered all of her energy to ask, "What's going on?"

Taub looked at her chart, "I came in to the clinic to examine you and you were semi-conscious from dehydration. We've admitted you and now we just have to find out what's causing the fever. We have you on Ampicillin and saline. Do you remember me from a few months ago? I tested you for Marburg? We were worried about an infection spreading in your building?"

Maia was about to respond when she heard a door open and a voice, somewhat familiar, bark, "When are you going to be done here? I need you on my case."

"Look, I've got to figure out what's causing her fever and septicemia."

House walked in and grabbed the chart away from him. "You don't have much of a history. Okay, 37, drug addict, supposedly in recovery, had a miscarriage and a D&C ten days ago. You better check her for toxic shock. Give her a pelvic and get a culture. Look, she's either lying about her recovery and she scored a bad batch of drugs or she has an infection from the D&C. The Ampicillin should do the trick. She should start responding tonight. Once you get the samples, get your butt down to my office, we have a guy spewing green slime."

Maia was pissed. This guy was talking as if Maia wasn't in the room. She looked at House, "_Who are you_?"

"No one you need to be concerned with. You're not my patient and I'm not any of your business."

"Wrong asshole, you're telling my doctor what to do which means you're now involved in my treatment." Maia realized this was the same doctor who had stared at her when she was waiting for Phil to pick her up.

House cocked his head and was about to say something in response to her calling him an asshole, but then he started thinking about what she said. He looked over at Taub who was smirking. Turning back to Maia he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Are you a lawyer?"

"Not anymore. But once you told him to run tests and treat me with ampicillin, you became involved in my treatment."

House paused, "Okay." He turned to Taub, "Do whatever you want and I don't care what you treat her with, _she's not my patient!"_

Taub chuckled.

Maia shook her head, "Tsk, tsk, pathetic, but don't worry, I don't _want_ you as my doctor. So you can leave, bye." She waved her hand at him to leave.

House turned to Taub and mouthed, "Labs, ampicillin and get your ass down to the office."

Taub nodded and House left.

Maia managed to open her eyes again, "He's an ass. Is that the House that sent me to you before? I had a hard time getting a good look at him through the peephole. He sounds familiar."

Taub nodded, "Yes, that's Dr. House. He's a brilliant ass. It's sad, but if I were sick, he's the asshole I'd go to."

"You're not giving me much confidence in you."

He laughed, "I mean if I were sick with something that couldn't be diagnosed by mere mortal doctors, I'd go to him. You don't need his genius, because you have a simple infection. We mere mortals can probably figure this out on our own. We just have to find out why you have the infection and make sure you're on the right antibiotics." He closed the chart, "Were you really a lawyer?"

"Yes."

"I thought I recognized your name. It's none of my business, but were you the lawyer on crack that went nuts a few –"

"Yes, that was me." She looked up at the ceiling. "It wasn't crack."

"What happened to you?"

"Coke. Lost everything to the white demon."

"I have to admit, you were my hero. That speech you gave about the justice system from the roof of your office in your bra and panties...so cool, so hot."

"Yeah, that got a lot of play on the evening news. I received buckets of mail in support of my diatribe. Unfortunately, it didn't endear me to the State Bar. I was suspended for five years— minimum."

"Well, I need to do a pelvic to see if your infection is from the D & C."

Maia grimaced, "Oh, lovely."

After the sample was taken, Maia watched a little news and fell back asleep.

* * *

House left the hospital around 6:00 pm and picked up some beer and snacks for the poker game. Around 7:30 pm the guys arrived and got down to business. After three hours of play, House was up, but not by much. Wilson had won several pots that night, dipping into House's normal bounty.

As the guys left, Wilson turned to House, "Are you going to the wine tasting at the hospital tomorrow?"

House nodded, "You bet. They're having a raffle for a bottle of Chteau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion 1996, but you have to be there to win."

"Yeah, I'm going too. Cuddy begged me to go, there's a female Jewish donor and I'm the bait."

House snickered and shook his head, "Well at least you know she has money!"

"That's such a great comfort." Wilson smiled and left.

House cleaned up the mess left by the guys and then sat down at the piano. As he played he thought about Cali and making love to her on the piano bench. He finished the piece, picked up the phone and dialed. He couldn't help but smile; he knew exactly what he wanted from her. The call went straight to her recording. The smile disappeared. House dialed again, but again it rang through to her recording.

_Did she do something stupid on Christmas? I should have kept her on the phone, made sure she was okay. Hell, why do I care? She's not my responsibility. She's probably on vacation or taking a leak._

* * *

She was awaken by a familiar voice, "You're test came back negative. The infection isn't related to your D&C."

She opened her eyes. "It's you again. I thought I recognized your voice. Where's my doctor?"

"He's running tests on another patient. The charge desk called and told me that your fever isn't responding to the ampicillin. We need more blood and a better history." House sucked the frappachino through the straw.

"I thought this was just a simple infection and that ampicillin would take care of it? Or at least that's what you told Dr. Taub. I thought you were the _guru_ at diagnosing difficult patients?"

"You're not my patient."

She sighed, "Then I want to see _my_ doctor now. I've got to get out of here. I have no medical insurance and no money. I can't afford to be here."

"You have a fever that's getting worse. You're up to 103.5 this morning. If we don't figure out what this is, you'll be dead in a few days.'

The monitor showed a spike in blood pressure and heart rate. They both looked over at it when they heard the beeping. She winced, "Well, according to that machine, you obviously have my attention. I know I'm not your patient, but what do you suspect—wink, wink?"

He grinned, "Well, wink, wink, what have you eaten in the last few days?"

"I haven't eaten much in the last three days because it keeps coming up. Before that I had pasta with sausage, cereal, pears, cheese and a seven-up. Oh and tea, lots of tea."

"The sausage, how long had it been around?'

"I bought it fresh that day."

"Milk?"

"I buy it by the quart so that it doesn't go bad."

"Pears?"

"Christmas gift, gourmet pears from Holly Orchards. You know they come in a large box in gold foil."

"Do you have any of them left?"

She stared deep into his blue eyes and thought about the day he passed by her when she had been waiting for Phil to pick her up. "Do you remember glaring at me when I was outside on the bench. You passed me on Christmas Day while I was sitting outside."

He turned his head to the side, "You know, maybe that's it. I've been trying to figure out where I know you from. There's been something familiar about you too." House gave her a stage wink. "Now, the pears? Any left?"

She shook her head.

"Too bad," he paused, "_Dr. __Taub__, wink, wink,_ is going to order a few more blood tests."

"Oh, yeah, Dr. Taub is going to order it, right." She winked at him. "If you hadn't rushed him, maybe he would have put more thought into my diagnosis."

"You have an infection, it's simple. We just have to figure out what bug is causing it and then prescribe the right antibiotics. In the meantime, I'm going to, uh, Dr. Taub is going to prescribe Vancomycin to see if it works."

"Can I take it at home? I really don't have the money for all of this."

"You have an unremitting fever and you were severely dehydrated when you came in…obviously, you don't know how to take care of yourself. So no, you don't get to go home."

Maia crossed her arms and tried to look mean, "I knew enough to get myself into the clinic."

"Where you collapsed! That's why stupidity, if left untreated, is self-correcting." House shook his head and left the room.

Maia waited for the nurse, who finally came in and hooked Maia up to the Vancomycin. She waited an hour until the bag was empty and then yanked the needle out of her arm, put a Kleenex over it to stop the bleeding and got dressed. She wrote a note and left it on the side.

"Dr. Taub (House), Vancomycin worked, I'm all better. Ciao." She was feeling better now that she was rehydrated. She knew that Vancomycin was a heavy duty antibiotic, the one used when a strain was resistant to older antibiotics. Before unhooking the machine, she noted that her fever had fallen to 102.5. It was enough evidence for her to be convinced that she was cured. Sneaking past the busy nurses, she went down the stairs and out of the building. It was freezing outside. She dug in her purse for her keys and discovered that they were missing!

She went out to the parking lot, looked through the window to see if she had locked them inside, but she hadn't. She leaned for a few minutes against the car until she felt strong enough to turn and walk back into the building. Maia looked up and saw House hanging over the railing on the second floor dangling a set of car keys. She glared at him and walked up the steps to get them.

Approaching him with her arm outstretched, she clenched her teeth, "May I have my keys, please?"

He shook his head, "Vancomycin worked, I'm all better. Ciao? Tsk, tsk, you can do better can't you? I can see from your glassy eyes that you still have a fever. You may feel okay, but you need to wait. We don't have your blood tests back."

"I'm not checking back into Hotel California. I can't afford it."

He looked her up and down. "Okay, I'll take you to the Econolodge." _She's feisty, even sick. She must be __poor,__ she can't even afford a home dye job. She has gray coming through the blonde, especially in her temples. I have to admit, she's doing a good job hiding it with the haircut. _"Follow me Brittney."

"Brittney?" She ran after him as he took off. _Damn he's fast with that cane. __Must be the long legs._

"Yeah. Brittney Spears. She doesn't know when to stay put and keep her mouth shut either."

They took the elevator and exited out the door to a corridor with offices. He opened the one marked, James Wilson, Oncology. It was empty, but decorated with movie posters. He pointed to a small sofa, "Your bed. Now if a fortish man with an annoying habit of claiming this is his office tries to get rid of you, tell him that you're Taub's patient. When your labs come back, I'll come get you."

She put her bag down and held her hand out, "Keys?"

He wrinkled his nose, "I don't think so, not yet."

She crossed her arms across her chest, "This is false arrest."

"Okay, sue me…oh, that's right, you're not an attorney anymore. Guess you'll have to hire someone. Now lay down, I'll be back later."

House closed the door and headed back to his office. It wasn't long and Taub was standing in front of him. "What did you do to my patient?"

House looked at him with a slight smile on his face, "Do to your patient? What do you mean?"

"Ms. Connelly, she's gone. I apparently prescribed Vancomycin and then she checked herself out." He was obviously upset. "House, the woman was very ill. I've got to go over and convince her to come back."

"Come with me." House got up and took Taub to Wilson's office. He opened the door and looked in. Wilson was sitting at his desk and there was no sign of Maia.

House snapped his head towards Wilson, his brow furred, "What did you do with the woman that was on your couch?"

"Seduced her, made her beg for more and then convinced her it was my office and asked her to leave."

House gave him a look of frustration, "You sent her away? She's sick you moron. Didn't you notice her filmy eyes? The fever?"

Wilson looked at House and shook his head. "I told her she could stay, but she said that she was going to go home and sleep."

"Go home? I have her car keys."

Taub and Wilson both looked at House with disgust. Taub shook his head, "You took her car keys?"

Wilson shrugged, "Well, she borrowed my phone and called a cab."

House threw his hands up, "And you let her?"

"Every man has his price. And mine was $3.95. Hey, she looked like she was a few days over her 18th birthday and said something about false arrest. People over 18 can hire cabs and go home, despite your concern."

House rubbed his head and looked down thinking through what he was going to do. "Are her labs back?"

Taub shrugged, "I haven't looked yet."

House practically ran back to his office and pulled up her record, turning white at what he saw. He heard Taub, who was standing behind him, curse. House looked up at Taub.

"Great. We've been giving her antibiotics and she has an E. Coli infection."

Wilson, who had followed looked at them, "What does that mean?"

House stared off, not really concentrating on answering Wilson,"An E. Coli infection doesn't respond to antibiotics and, in fact, antibiotics appear to hinder the recovery of patients."

House shook his head, "This makes absolutely no sense, an E. Coli infection doesn't cause a fever and her fever has been getting worse on a daily basis. Crap. We've got to get her back and isolate her. She may be carrying some new type of virus that's competing with the infection."

House wrote down her address and then looked up at Taub, "Isn't this the building where our Marburg case lived?"

Taub nodded. "You remember the woman that you wanted to meet? It was her."

"No wonder her voice sounded so familiar." House smiled to himself. He was curious about her, why she seemed to strike a chord with him. "Bring her record and let's grab some bags to go through her apartment. Might as well do a reconnaissance while we're there. Tell Remy and Larry they've got the helm while the away team is…away."

"Yes, Captain Kirk. Does that make me Spock?" Taub asked.

"No, it makes you the expendable guy that dies on the planet while we're away. Wilson, you're McCoy."

"Well, I'm staying here."

"That makes sense; you never liked the transporter anyway."

Wilson scratched his head and went back to the work on his desk.


	12. Chapter 4 Part 3

Snowmelt Chapter 4- Part 3

Grabbing his jacket and hat, House kept looking down at her chart, wondering what they were missing to put the puzzle together. Taub drove them in his Lexis, telling House about Maia's past, including her coke rage and her speech from the roof of her office.

House, going over the chart in his hands shrugged, "Well, if you're going to walk on thin ice you might as well dance. Sounds like she was break dancing."

House was now even more curious about the woman who had stripped for the cameras, yelled that the insurance companies owned the courts and judicial system and then sang the National Anthem while the media filmed every minute. When they arrived at the building, Mr. Umbatu, just returning from work, greeted the doctors with a big smile.

Mr. Umbatu smiled broadly, "Doctors, good to see you. Are you here to follow up?"

"We're here to see," House looked down at the chart in his hand, "Ms. Connolly." House replied.

"Maia? Is something wrong with her?"

House nodded, "She's very sick."

"Can I be of any help?"

Taub spoke up, "No, we'll take care of it."

House knocked on Apartment 4 with his cane. There was no response. He knocked again. But after waiting a minute, he looked at Taub. Mr. Umbatu stepped forward. "We have a key to her apartment. She left it with us when she had to go away for a week. I'll go get it."

Mr. Umbatu rushed back with the key and handed it to Taub, who knocked one last time. When there was no answer, House grabbed the key and unlocked the door. Entering, he immediately noted that the apartment was rather bare. There was no stereo, but there appeared to be wires for one. He also determined that there was no television in the living room. He called out, but there was no answer. Taub went back to the bedroom, but she wasn't there.

"She's not home! Where do you think she went?"

"Maybe to get some beer? It's the reason I wake up in the afternoons. She's probably visiting someone in the building. You and Mr. Umbatu knock on some doors and see if anyone has seen her."

Taub and the African left to make the rounds. House sat down on the sofa and stared into space. He didn't know why he felt that he was looking at the solution to a puzzle, but he did. Problem was, what puzzle? He took her chart and started to read it again.

_December 25th, miscarriage, D&C, recovery. No television, no microwave, no stereo. Not home last night when I called. Her voice sounds familiar. She can't be Cali?_

House got up and looked around. In the bedroom he found two telephones. One was turquoise with fluorescent keys and a timer. He pulled open the drawer by her bed and found a card file. There were dozens of cards in alphabetical order with names on them. House went though the cards, Barry, Bob, David, EvanFredster… he stopped at the next card.

_G. Man. (jazz –nice voice-witty-dry humor)_

_March 28 - Piano sex (plays piano)_

_May 5 – shower sex_

_June 1- sex talk_

_November 21 – just talked, no sex_

_November 24 – sex talk_

_December 25 – no charge_

At the bottom there were notes, _G. or G. Man, likes girls young. Knows about miscarriage, boyfriend leaving…wanted to meet. Likes brunettes_

House had to sit down. He felt tingling, a numbing feeling. He sat on the edge of Maia's bed and looked around. It was a tiny bedroom. The only way the full size bed could fit in the room was up against the wall. There was a night stand and a small chest of drawers. He stood up and walked over to the only closet in the room. The closet was less than five feet wide with little in it except for a file of documents that appeared to deal with an administrative case against her by the New Jersey State Bar. In another, larger box, he discovered six plaques, two from Trenton as trial lawyer of the year, one from Princeton for the Bernstein Award for Civic Duty, and three New Jersey Bar Association awards for Outstanding Trial Lawyer. He put the box away in its position next to her shoes. He saw a photograph album and started thumbing through it. Inside were some recent photos. He looked at one, which showed her dressed in a skirt and blouse. She looked fresh and pretty. Her nose was sprinkled with freckles. Her smile was sweet, almost shy. She looked like she was weary, that smiling wasn't something she did very often.

House pocketed the photograph and put everything away. He went back out to the kitchen and saw the box that the pears had come in, pulled it out of the trash and as he turned around caught a glimpse of someone moving. In front of him stood a very angry Maia, fists resting on her hips and her lips tightly shut together.

Her eyes were narrowed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to deflect her anger.

"Answer my question." She responded.

"I'm here because we got your lab tests back and there's a problem. You need to come back to the hospital with me. _Now_, how are you feeling?"

"I'm calling the cops." She reached for the phone.

House grabbed the cordless phone first, held it out to her and glared. Wrinkling his nose he smiled, "You could call, but one word from me and you're in quarantine until I let you out."

Her mouth fell open and her shoulders dropped, "Quarantine?"

"We know you have an infection, but you shouldn't be running a fever with it. Which means you have two infections competing for your somewhat unsavory body."

She pulled her head back and frowned, "Unsavory body? _I have an unsavory body? _Have you looked in the mirror? I suspect you've gotten a lot of mileage off of those blue eyes in the past. Well, enjoy it now; you're quickly approaching a point where even your blue eyes aren't going to get you a second glance. "

He batted his eyes at her, "So you like my blue eyes?"

She frowned, "Like you? Like you? You stole my keys, broke into my house and are searching through my trash. You want to know if I like you?" Maia sighed and sat down on the sofa, resting her head back on the back of the couch.

House walked over and poked her with his cane, "Hey, wake up."

She grabbed his cane and yanked on it. Gritting her teeth she hissed, "I am awake. I'm just worn out, I want to go to sleep."

He held out the box from the pears, the slats where the pears had sat were stained. House thought it was probably pear juice, but he wanted to have the lab test the box. He pulled the cane back and poked her again to keep her from falling asleep. He almost called her Cali, but refrained at the last second.

"Is this the pear box that your pears came in?"

She opened up an eye, looked at the box and nodded.

He reached over and touched her forehead, "You still have a high fever. It should have dropped by now. Christ, whatever the second infection is, you're not responding to the big guns."

"_Now _are you my doctor_?"_

House realized quickly that, considering their unique 'business contact', it wouldn't be a good idea for him to treat her. "No, but Dr. Taub is in the building, he'd tell you the same thing…I think. Yeah, he's smart enough; he'd tell you the same thing."

"Dr. House, I'm so tired, I really would like for you to leave so that I can go to sleep."

"You're coming back with us to the hospital."

She opened an eye again, realizing that he was actually very handsome. But she felt so crappy, she didn't even look to see if he had a wedding ring, "Honey, I ain'tgoin' nowhere but this couch or that bed in there. I keep trying to tell you, _I can't afford your hospital._" Maia crawled up on the couch.

"We have a few programs for the indigent—"He looked around the apartment, "-- sure looks like you qualify. Hell, where's your television?"

"I donated it to a more needy asshole."

House poked her with more vigor, "Look counselor, get your scrawny ass up and let's get going."

"Scrawny ass?" She rolled over on the couch, "See, there's nothing scrawny about that ass. It may not be J-Lo quality, but I can shake it like J-Lo. Now, obviously you think of that cane as an extension of your penis. If you poke me again, I'll give you a hand job that you won't forget."

Taub had returned and was standing near them. House nodded at Maia, "I'm trying to convince her to come to the hospital." House gave her one last poke in the upper arm. She turned and reached up, grabbed his ball sac and yanked. House doubled over screaming. He fell onto her and the couch.

Maia was trying to push him off of her, but he was still writhing in pain. A pang of guilt flashed through her and she stopped flailing at him. He finally rolled to the end of the sofa and sat up.

Still wincing he looked at her, "I'm trying to save your miserable life."

She sat up and looked shamefully at House, "I'm sorry. I have this authority complex. I hate being told what to do. I can see that you've gone out of your way to treat me, to help me. I just can't afford to be hospitalized."

Taub walked over and sat across from her on the coffee table, "We have a couple of indigent programs that we can get your hospitalization paid for through them."

Maia's face was filled with emotion, she could hardly whisper, "I'm just not used to being called, 'indigent.' I've always worked hard and supported myself. I've never needed nor asked for any handouts. I'm sorry I yelled at you Dr. House."

"Yeah, well it's your big mouth that got you in trouble…no, wait, it was your big _nose_ that got you in trouble."

"Do I really need to be hospitalized? I'm feeling better."

House barked, "You're lying. You may think you feel better, but you're going to crash. Have you eaten?"

She shook her head.

"Had anything to drink?"

She nodded.

"You threw it up, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I'm going to get dehydrated, aren't I?"

"Finally, you're starting to sound like a college graduate. Get your things."

They left for the hospital, Taub and House sitting up front, Maia laying down in the back seat. By the time they got to the hospital, Maia was shivering. House opened the door to the back seat and, to Taub's surprise, extended a hand to her. She got out and they walked into the hospital.

House grabbed a wheelchair. "You need to sit while we get Administration to find you a bed."

Taub talked to the clerk in administration. House started to walk back to his office, but stopped. He turned and looked at her sitting quietly in the wheelchair. He remembered that she was alone, more alone than he was in this world. House went over to the vending machine, purchased a bottle of water, walked back and sat down next to her. He was holding the bag with the pear box in one hand and the bottle of water in the other.

"Here, you need to see if you can keep any water down." He handed her the water.

She took the bottle, "Thank you." Then she took a drink. "What's with the pear box? Do you think I got the E. Coli from the pears. "

"Possibly." House watched for any sign that she was going to throw the water up. She looked uncomfortable. "Are you going to throw up?"

"It feels like it."

He got up and grabbed a trash can, took it over to her, just in time. She wretched over the can and a portion of the water came back up, mixed with green bile.

"You need an IV."

She took a deep breath and looked at him, wondering why he was sticking around. "You're a big shot around here, aren't you?"

He hummed and hawed, "Uh, let's just say I carry a big stick." He held up his cane. "When you're not giving speeches in your underwear, what do you do?"

She closed he eyes and shook her head, "I'm a…a counselor of sorts."

House almost burst out laughing, "Who do you counsel?"

"Anyone who needs it."

He tried to sound sober, interested, "Do you have an office?"

"I'm kind of a life coach, I help them over the phone."

"What do you help them with?"

She looked at her hands which were folded around the water bottle, "I help them with confidence issues. I help them by using imagery. Walking through things they'd like to do, but sometimes don't have the confidence to do."

_Confidence to do? I just don't have the warm body next to me._ "I was thinking about using a life coach. I want to move forward, so I can speak confidently at medical conferences, but I'm having trouble imagining me doing that. Maybe I could hire you?"

Maia blushed, "Oh, uh…I'm not taking any new clients."

"Really? Business didn't look that good when I was in your apartment. Seems like _you_ could use a life coach."

Maia was angry, she had only been advertising for the last year and she was told it usually takes a couple of years before you were really successful in the sex talk business. "I'm still building my clientele." As soon as she said it, she knew she had just contradicted herself. She looked at him, her mouth open, eyes wide.

He started laughing at her.

"Leave me alone."

Taub came over to them, surprised to find House laughing, but patiently waiting with her. Taub gave him a strange look. "You're still here?"

House pulled his head back and gave Taub a funny look, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Maia looked over at House, "Because, as you're so fond of pointing out, "I'm not your patient."

"True, but he is my employee. I'm just overseeing his work here."

"That would make me your patient."

House narrowed his eyes, "Is that the Life Coach or attorney talking?"

"Attorney."

"In that case, I was just being charming and waiting with my new found life coach. I'm out of here. Do whatever you need to do Taub." House jumped up and made his way to the elevator, turned quietly to look back only to see both Taub and Maia staring at him with wide eyes. House quickly turned back, not wanting to acknowledge their curiosity.


	13. Chapter 4 Part 67

The following day found Taub and House were starring at the white board as Remy and Larry stared at them.

"Are we going to talk about the patient?" 13 asked.

House, not taking his gaze off of the board shrugged, "Which patient?"

Larry looked at Remy, puzzled, "Uh, the guy who's dying in Room 312."

House motioned for Larry and Remy to sit together, "You two…keep talking about it. Taub, what's do the labs show with Maia?"

The entire team turned to stare at House. It was Taub who said something, "Maia? You called the patient by her name…her _first_ name."

House tried to look nonplussed, "Maia is her name, isn't it?"

They all grinned at each other.

House shook his head and looked at Larry, "You two need to biopsy his frontal lobe, the guy in Room 312. Now, Maia has an E. Coli infection that's running a fever." When Larry and Remy still didn't move, House waved his hand at them, "Come on you two…skiddadle while Taub and I consider the marvel of a fever without a name."

The phone rang. Taub went over to the phone and picked it up, "Taub." He paused and looked up at House, puzzled. "Okay, sure, I'll tell him." Taub hung up and looked over at House, "Did you have a _box_ analyzed?"

House said nothing, but gave Taub a look of expectation.

"They have the results…it has both E. Coli O157:H7 and _Staphylococcus __aureus_, MRSA."

House looked away and down, appearing to concentrate on a coke stain on the carpet. Taub wasn't sure if he should interrupt, but he was curious, "At least now we know what she has House. That makes sense. The fever is from the Staph infection –which is antibiotic resistant, the E. Coli is getting stronger from the antibiotics. We need to find out what will kill the Staph … we need something specific enough that we can kill the Staph as quickly as possible, take her off antibiotics, and then the E. Coli infection will get better. This isn't a big mystery."

House snickered and looked up, "Big mystery? Yes it is."

Taub shook his head, "I give up…why?"

"Her apartment…what did you think of it?"

"Bare."

House had a devilish look, "Bare, but clean."

"Okay."

"Two relatively rare bacteria show up in a clean apartment?"

"Okay, I'll bite…no, not likely. What was the box that you sent in?"

House felt a smile cross his lips, "Pears. It was a Pear gift box."

"So we need to find the farm where the pears came from."

House shook his head. "The problem isn't the farm or the company. We would have heard if there had been an outbreak of the two diseases from contaminated pears. We need to find the person who sent the pears."

Taub looked puzzled, "Why?"

"Whoever did, wanted Maia to get sick, maybe die."

Taub stopped in his tracks, staring out the window he slowly started to nod his head as he thought it through, "You're right." He put his hands in his pocket, "Should we call the police?"

House shook his head, "Not yet. Not until we know more."

Maia, had been hooked up to intravenous antibiotics for over twenty-four hours, the nurses changing the bag as soon as the buzzer went off letting them know it was empty. House hadn't been in to see her, just Taub. He told her that the odds that she would get these two bacterial infections at one time were extremely low.

"The pear box indicated evidence of both bacteria which means you probably got the infections from eating the pears."

Maia was good at putting two plus two together, it was part of being a lawyer. "You're telling me that my friend or my _former_ friend, did this deliberately?"

Taub nodded, "Maybe."

"House thinks that too?"

"He's the one who suggested it."

She looked out the window into the cold gray sky and felt the chills go down her spine.

Taub could see her disappointment and sadness, "It might not be him. He may just be a patsy. Does anyone have a reason to want you sick or dead?"

Maia looked over Taub's shoulder as House entered the room and leaned against the cart in the back of the room. Maia turned her attention back to what Taub had asked and started chuckling at first. It quickly grew into a hysterical laugh. She was holding her stomach; it hurt when she laughed.

"I have a box in my closet filled with the names of people who wished they tar and feather, quarter or hang me. I screwed over a lot of people. I went bust making them financially whole, but I couldn't give them back the other things I caused them to lose, their time, their opportunities, their destroyed relationships. I took away their faith, their hope, their optimism. Believe me, doctor, it would be easier trying to find someone who knew me that _didn't_ want me dead."

Taub walked over and touched Maia's hand, "Well, start out by telling me who sent you the pears?"

"I had eight people working for me when I flipped out. One was Michael Cole, a brilliant, young attorney with a new wife. He had baby just when it all began to fall apart, a little girl. Of course, when I screwed everything up, he lost his job, his health insurance, and because of my outburst, people were reluctant to hire him. His daughter had health issues and they had to declare bankruptcy to get the government to step in and give her medical help."

Taub winced, "Sounds like someone who might have a grudge."

House left the room and Taub followed.

"Well, what do you think?" Taub asked, clearly excited about the prospect of hunting down the person who did it.

"I think she can go home. Her fever broke, she's not throwing up, and she's eating applesauce without crapping her pants."

"But if there's someone who wants her dead, should we really send her home?"

House furred his brow and smirked at the same time, "This isn't the witness protection program. She's okay. She's not stupid. Now that she knows someone is after her, she'll be on her toes. Send her home."

Taub frowned and gave House a curt nod.

House saw Maia out on the curb waiting for the bus as he drove by. He pulled over and rolled down the window, "What's up?"

"My starter went out. I'm going to have to have the car towed."

"Get in."

Maia grabbed her bag and slowly got into the car. Her head was throbbing and she still felt weak and tired. Every limb felt heavy, "Thanks."

House said nothing, but pulled out of the space. He glanced over and thought about the plaques sitting in the cardboard box in the back of her closet, wondering what it must have taken to knock her off that pedestal and down into the gutter.

About half way to her place House turned on the stereo. A CD of Miles Davis played. He took a deep breath, "You and I are going to go have a talk with Michael Cole tomorrow. I'll pick you up at ten in the morning."

She frowned at him, "I'm not going anywhere with you." She paused, feeling guilty that she had accepted a ride from him. "Look, I appreciate the ride and what you guys did for me. But, you really don't want to get involved with me. I'll be careful, no more pears for me."

House chortled, "We either go see Michael Cole tomorrow or I go to the police. I'm sure you'll enjoy having them poke around in your business.'"

Her face fell and she turned towards him, exasperated and clearly annoyed. "Ten o'clock…fine." She sat stewing over things and then blurted out, "Why are you so interested in what happens to me?"

He lifted an eyebrow and said, "Who said I was interested in what happens to you? I'm just interested in solving the puzzle. It's what I do best."

"So you want to find out who wants me to suffer?" She chuckled, "Let me save you the time, _everyone wants me to suffer._ End of story. Puzzle solved."

"You know, you say that, but before you went on your coke binge, you did some good deeds, you were at the top of your game. A lot of people respected you."

"Yeah, well everyone loved O.J. Simpson too. "

He cracked a smile to himself. They pulled up to her apartment building and he let her out. "See you tomorrow."

She stood on the curb watching him as he pulled away into the traffic. She didn't understand him and she didn't trust him. She could feel in her bones that there was something more to Dr. Gregory House; her lawyer radar was twitching like mad.


	14. Chapter 5 Looking for the Needle

**Chapter 5**

**Looking for the Needle **

House slowed down. They had been driving for three quarters of an hour to a suburb just north of Philadelphia. They were checking addresses as they drove along.

"According to Mapquest, this is it. Oh, crap."

House looked over at her, "What?"

Maia had her eyes closed, trying hard to keep the image from searing into her brain. "It's just that Mike used to own a beautiful four bedroom house in an upscale neighborhood."

House said nothing, but looked at the little duplex that bore the address where they were going. The neighborhood wasn't as bad as Maia's, but it was only a few rungs up. He nodded for her to get out and could see she was reluctant.

House snapped, "You have to face this."

She snarled, "Why?"

"We need to know what he knows, even if it's nothing."

"I don't care if someone is trying to kill me, I can live with that."

House got out and walked up to the storm door. It was a clear day, the snow on the ground was starting to turn to slush. Maia stared down as she followed him, realizing her parka had a big stain on the front that hadn't come out in the wash and her Nikes had a hole in the left one. Her hair was unkept and dried out from the drugs and antibiotics. Peering at her reflection in the glass of the window, Maia tried to pat down a few stray hairs. She walked up to the door as House knocked.

House glanced quickly over at Maia. _She looks like a homeless person, pretty pathetic, hardly the woman in that photo._ The door was opened by a man in his early thirties with dark brown hair and turtle framed glasses. His jaw clenched tight when he saw Maia. She barely raised her head. Briefly looking into Cole's eyes, she tried to smile, but noting his disgust, quickly lowered her head and stared at her shoes.

"What the hell do you want?" He looked her up and down and started laughing, "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

Maia coughed and raised her head, "Hi Mike. I just came to thank you for the pears."

Cole pulled his head back and furred his brow. Looking back and forth between the two of them, he snorted, "Maia, I don't have time for your games." He started to close the door.

House reached out and stopped the door from closing. Cole opened the door slightly, watching House suspiciously, "Yeah, what?"

House took out his wallet and showed him his PPTH identification, "I'm a doctor at PPTH. We're concerned. The pears you sent Ms. Connelly were contaminated with a rare, but lethal bacterial infection. We understand you have a daughter and we just wanted to make sure she hadn't ingested any of the pears."

Mike's demeanor changed, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Maia, then back to House, "I don't know anything about pears. _What's going on_?"

There was silence and then Maia looked in his eyes, "Someone sent me pears infected with two strains of deadly bacteria. The card said that they were from you. Didn't you get my letter?"

"I saw the name on the return address and threw it away." He started to laugh. "You mean, someone is trying to kill you? That's rich."

House didn't understand why she just stood there letting him laugh at her. She wasn't even trying to walk away or do anything to stop him. House shook his head, "I don't know why you think sending someone pears infected with a deadly bacteria is funny. Anyone could have eaten those pears. Come on Maia, let this moron get back to his soap operas."

Cole looked again at Maia, standing like a prisoner, waiting for the executioner's ax. A wave of memories hit him. Memories of all the times she had helped him and his family. How she guided him through his first trial, gave him huge bonuses, co-signed for their mortgage. She had been good to him and his family before she started snorting coke. Now she was crushed, a sad shell of what she was. It hurt to even look at her.

House had his hand under her arm and was practically pulling her back to the car. She was devastated, almost catatonic as she walked robotically back with him. A voice call out her name. They both turned to see Cole on the front step waving them back. Reluctantly, Maia turned and took a few steps back towards the duplex.

"Maia, I didn't send the pears. I may be angry, but I hope you know I'd never hurt you."

Maia swallowed hard, tears coming to her eyes. She thought about how good it had felt when she got the pears; how she was relieved when she thought he had forgiven her. She nodded and her voice came out in a wavering whisper, "I know Mike. I'm so sorry. I never… I'm so sorry. Please give Tina a hug."

She turned to leave, but he called out again to House. Maia didn't look back, instead she waited, standing as still as possible as House turned to acknowledge him.

"Hey, I can think of three possibilities, Dr. Valen, Joseph Susskind and the 186." Mike turned and went back inside.

House and Maia got into the car. House looked at her while he started the car, "Who are Valen, Susskind and 186?"

She turned, her eyes bleary from tears, she wiped them away. Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her teeth. She screamed at him as loud as she could, "It doesn't fucking matter. It doesn't matter if someone wants me to die. Don't you get it? Look what I've done? This is what I deserve!"

"Oh, boo hoo. I don't care what you've done or who you hurt_. Who's Susskind, __Valen__ and 186?_" He yelled back as loud as she had yelled at him. It seemed to work, she went quiet for the next five minutes as they got back in the car and drove back to Princeton.

"I86 is a gang. I sued them for civil rights violations of the dead son of my clients. I won and took away most of their tricked out cars and bling. Most of them are in jail now."

"Dr. Valen I sued and won millions of dollars for four women he molested under anesthesia. His carrier didn't have to pay because it was an intentional tort. He had to sell everything to pay us off."

"Susskind is a virologist. He was working on obtaining a patent on a gene, but if he had patent it, then no one would be able to use the gene for discovering certain genetic diseases. I argued to the court that he couldn't patent it because, although it didn't have a name, it had been the part of decades of research. He hadn't really discovered it, so he had no right to patent it. I won and he lost what was potentially millions of dollars."

"Are any of them capable of doing this?"

"They all are if you pay someone enough money. I'd say Susskind would have more access, but it wouldn't take much to buy the pears, inject them with the strains bought from a lab and send them to me."

He pulled up to her curb. "Do you have any information on these men?"

She looked empty, totally void of caring, "I might have something in my apartment. The bar has most of my files in storage."

House took a Vicodin and then got out. They went inside and Maia hung her coat up.

"Can I take your coat? Finding that information may take awhile."

House took off his coat and went to sit down.

Maia nodded towards her bedroom, "My documents are in there."

They went back and she pulled out a box from under the bed. She handed House a stack of pleadings, "You go through those, I'm going to go get some water. Want some?"

"Sure."

She went out to the living room-kitchen area while he read the documents. He discovered from the newspaper articles and judgments that each of these men had lost everything they had in these lawsuits. The gang members had killed a fourteen year old kid for a Subway Sandwich. They had not only gone to jail because of Maia's relentless investigation of what happened, but they lost all their worldly possessions to pay off her clients. Maia, had championed the victims in each of the cases, but it was just possible the defendants had come back for their revenge -- while she was down, while she was a nobody.

Maia came in and gave him the glass of water. He drank it and then stood up. "I'll call you tomorrow. I'm taking the rest of the documents to read tonight."

"Whatever." She followed him to the door where he pulled his coat off the hook and put it on.

He looked down at her. He still didn't like it, she looked hollow, as if there was nothing left inside. He thought about taking her out for dinner, but she looked like she really needed to rest. The afternoon and the pain of the meeting had obviously taken a toll on her. He left and drove by his favorite Chinese restaurant, picking up some Kung Po Chicken and Special Shrimp. When he got home he sat down in front of the television with his boxes and started to eat. He could feel a twinge in his leg which usually meant he was in for a bad night.

House put the box down and got up. He had some Vicodin in the bedroom. Just as he started for the bedroom he remembered the Vicodin in his jacket. He hobbled over to the jacket and reached into the right pocket and felt. He turned the jacket over and reached in the left pocket, nothing. He patted his pants pockets and then looked in the pocket inside his jacket, nothing. The Vicodin was missing. He started to feel panic. How long ago did he leave her apartment? An hour? He called her home and no one answered. He dialed the sex line and got her answering machine.

He ran to his bathroom and grabbed some things he would need, put his jacket on, snatched his cane and keys and flew out the door. When he reached her apartment, no one answered the door. He pulled himself up the stairs using the banister and pounded on the Umbatu's door. His wife opened it.

House was agitated, his eyes bright and wild. He scared the woman. She huddled and shrunk back. "_Keys, I need the keys to Maia's apartment…Keys!"_

She shrunk back. House calmed down, "Please, Maia is very ill, I need the key so I can help her."

The woman nodded to her daughter who ran and got the key. She handed it to her mother, who handed it over to House. He ran downstairs, his backpack hanging off his shoulder. Fumbling as he tried to undo the lock, House let out a sigh when he heard the tumbler click. He wrenched open the doors and ran in, looking quickly at the couch. Running into the bedroom, he saw her laying quietly, a light on the side of the bed shining softly. He could see a half empty bottle of tequila and the empty bottle of Vicodin. He grabbed Maia and shook her, but she didn't show any signs of awakening. He took her pulse. It was slow but steady. House pulled her off onto the floor and dragged her on the blanket to the bathroom. He pulled her up and into the bathtub, turning the water from the shower on her. He pulled his back pack off his shoulder and grabbed a tube out of it. House saw a small reaction, a jerk from her shoulder, igniting a little spark of hope. He began stuffing the tube down her throat, before he could get it down, she started choking. House pulled the tube out and watched as Maia semi-consciously began to vomit. House smiled as her body wretched. He held her in a position so that the vomit wouldn't choke her. When she was done vomiting, House could see several pills, partially dissolved next to the drain.

She began to move around like a sloth trying to find water. She was moaning slightly. House grabbed her hair and pulled her head back so that the shower could hit it. She tried to open her eyes, which was all House had to see to start breathing easier. He pulled her back out of the tub and put her on the blanket, looked around and grabbed a towel. He mopped her up and then went into her bedroom, pulled out a sweatshirt and sweat pants and went back into the bathroom.

He pulled her top off and smiled. She had pretty breasts, round, pert with pretty pink nipples. He took the towel and dried them, trying to ignore the signals his groin was sending out. He pulled the sweatshirt over her head, failing to catch her head as it fell back with a thud on the floor. He chuckled. He grabbed her pajama bottoms and pulled them off, smiling again at the wisps of dark blonde hair between her legs. He took a towel and dried her, the dressed her in the sweatpants. He pulled her back to the bedroom, picked her up and rolled her onto the bed.

House sat down and started to shake her shoulder.

She moaned.

"Wake up. Damn it, wake up. I can't believe that you did this after we just spent all that time and money making you better. You're so ungrateful. Now wake up."

She moaned and then pulled her shoulder away from him. He pushed her back, his jaw clenched, he started shaking her harder. Her eyes flew open.

The voice that escaped from her mouth sounded like something from the _Exorcist_, "Will you stop that! I have a headache you demonic quack."

"Like I care! You have to stay awake for at least a couple of hours."

"You must care, you're _here_ dimwit!"

He tried not to laugh at the sound of her somewhat demonic voice, which was probably the result of the tube rubbing her vocal cords as it went down. "I really don't care about your hide, but I do about mine. I don't want anyone to know where you got the Vicodin, so you're going to get this crap out of your system and then I'm letting you find your own way to pull the plug on your pathetic existence!"

"Has anyone told you that your bedside manner reminds them of Sweeney Todd?"

"And your life reminds me of a bad Harlequin Romance Novel. Now, you don't have television, so what do you want to do?"

Maia rolled her eyes, "I just tried to kill myself, not like I made plans for 'later'!"

House smirked, "Oh, give me a break. Let's play cards. You do know how to play cards, right?"

"I'd prefer sleeping. I'm really tired and sick."

"Yeah, well I'd prefer being home in bed with a beautiful woman, but—"he purposefully eyed her up and down lying in bed, "I'm _not,_ am I?"

She curled her lip and snarled. "What do you want to play?"

"Texas Hold 'em. $10.00 ante."

She shook her head, "I don't have $10 for the ante. I've been so sick and in the hospital that I haven't made any money lately."

"Alright, we'll play Spades. Do you know how to play Spades?"

She nodded, got out of bed, fell back on the edge of the bed, slid down to the floor and laughed. "Whoa, I'm more wobbly than I thought."

House started laughing, he rolled across the bed and looked over the edge at her prone on the floor except for her shoulders and head still leaning up against the bed. "For God's sakes, get up and get the cards."

She stuck her tongue out at him and clumsily got up, walked to the drawer in the kitchen, grabbed the cards and took them back to the bedroom. They played Spades for an hour before House felt comfortable that she was going to be okay. He had beat her at every hand, but just barely. He figured that if she weren't drunk and drugged, she'd probably be damn good at cards.

After the seventh hand she looked at him, "I'm so tired, can I go to sleep now?"

He nodded as he put the cards down on the dresser. He picked up a book on the civil war while she curled up and fell fast asleep. After reading for awhile House felt rumblings in his stomach reminding him that he hadn't had dinner. He got up, went to the kitchen and started going through her cupboards. Besides a healthy store of wheat thins and cocoa puffs, there was really nothing to eat in the apartment. He grabbed his keys, the key to the apartment and his jacket. He was buttoning up when there was a knock on the door. He opened the door, gawked at the visitor and grinned.

She smiled back, "Hi, I'm Jennifer, is Maia here?"

House couldn't stop grinning at the gorgeous brunette, probably twenty-five, 5'8" and beautiful. He was staring at the object of the advertisement that had made him pick up the phone and dial for sex. He motioned with his thumb to her bedroom, "She's sleeping. I'm her doctor, just made a house call. She's not well."

The young woman looked genuinely concerned, "Oh, no. That's bad. I knew something had to be wrong. She usually pays me on time. Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure. I was about to get a bite to eat. Why don't I buy you a cup of coffee and tell you what's going on?"

She hesitated, but saw the cane and apparently felt safe with a cripple, because she nodded. "Okay. Where do you want to go?"

"My car is parked out front, we can go to the restaurant down the road."

They walked to the curb and when she saw the car she took a step back, "You're a doctor and you drive this?" She looked skeptical.

"Besides the fact that it's a classic, I use it during the winter, normally I travel by motorcycle. Here, here's my I.D."

Jennifer seemed convinced because she accompanied House to a restaurant where House lathered on the charm for the next hour and a half. Jennifer seemed smitten. As she drank her third cabernet, she ran her hand up House's left thigh until she met the small bulge from his penis. She took her nail and drew the outline of it on the fabric of his pants, circling it over and over as it got larger. House reached over and put an arm around the back of her chair, closing his eyes as her finger danced over the shaft and head. The waitress approached and House quickly asked for the bill. He paid it, put on his jacket to hide the bulge and they left. When they got to the car she turned to him and opened her lips slightly for a kiss. He leaned forward and, using his tongue, tickled the tip of her tongue with his.

She started breathing harder as she felt his hand reach up through her coat and grab her breast. "Let's go to your place," she said

"I can't. I have to watch Maia. Let's go back to her place for now."

She pulled her head back and furred her brow, "You have to babysit Maia?"

"Make sure she doesn't get worse. Come back with me."

She nodded and they drove back, barely getting their jackets off as the fell into the living room wrapped in each other's arms. Jennifer, grabbed House's belt and unbuckled it as he managed to unlatch the bra under her sweater.

"Is Maia asleep?"

House could barely speak, his breath was rushing, "She's asleep." They fell onto the couch with House's levis half way down his knees.

He grabbed his wallet and pulled out the condom which Jennifer took from him, dressed him and then gave him a deep kiss. House pulled her sweater up and found the bra dangling. He pulled it down from the breasts and started sucking and fondling. He felt tingling sensations as he rubbed his sheathed erection against her thigh. She grabbed it and guided him inside. He sucked and thrust, sucked and thrust, like a dance. It was all so delicious. Her breasts were large and heavy, with brown, succulent nipples, the size of a half-dollar. The depth of the couch made it difficult to get comfortable or to get any momentum. He picked her leg up and began thrusting harder and faster. She raised her hips up to accommodate as much of him as she could. She screamed out in pleasure as he started to come, short, fast thrusts until he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up, Jennifer's nipple still firmly in his mouth. Maia was standing in the kitchen holding a glass of water watching them. He sucked in an uneven breath and dropped the nipple. But he couldn't stop the orgasm. His face was contracting as Maia gave him a little wave and a smile.

"Don't let me stop you." She said calmly and went back to bed.

Jennifer blushed and pushed House off of her, "I thought you said she was asleep."

"She should have been…she had enough drugs in her."

Jennifer was shocked, "You drugged her?"

House sneered, "No! She drugged herself." He pulled the top of the rubber down and off, admiring the amount of sperm it had in the tip. "Be back." He got up, pulled up his levis and walked to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. He walked by the bedroom and could see her sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed hugging a pillow. She looked up and their eyes met. She stared down at the condom in his fingers and frowned. Maia jumped up and slammed the door.

House cleaned up and went back to a rather flustered Jennifer.

"I better go talk to her." Jennifer said.

"Come back tomorrow; I'll talk to her tonight. Can I get your telephone number?"

She hesitated and looked embarrassed. "I'll give you my cell. I have a boyfriend that I live with, so please don't call, just text me, okay?"

House nodded and pocketed the piece of paper she gave him. After she left, he went back into the bedroom but Maia was asleep. The apartment was getting cold so he went back out and saw that the thermostat was set on a timer. Between 10 pm and 6 am she had set the temperature at 57 degrees. He grabbed a throw off the couch and went back to her bedroom. House took off his shirt and levis, crawled under the throw and went to sleep. Sometime in the night, when he found himself shivering, he got under the covers making sure he didn't venture to her side of the bed.

The next morning he got up and saw that she was still asleep. She looked better, more color to her cheeks, easier breathing. He put on his clothes and took off.

Around nine Maia woke up and found the apartment empty and a condom wrapper on the floor of her living room. She had just picked it up when the door opened and House walked in with several plastic grocery bags.

She held the wrapper up, "You could at least pick up after yourself."

"Sorry, it was your friend's fault, she did the honors."

Maia looked in the refrigerator and saw nothing but condiments and a cold pitcher of water. She grabbed it and poured herself a drink as house put the bags on the counter.

"You may not have noticed, but you have nothing to eat in there. I'm hungry." He held up a carton of eggs and a package of bacon. "Now, feed me."

She put both hands on her hips and smacked her lips closed. There was an uneasy pause and then she gained her composure. "Please take your food and leave. I didn't want you here in the first place, and then you use my apartment to screw my friend…in front of me? Well, that's about as low as you can get. I really, really wish you'd get out of my life."

He snorted, "Your life? You call what this is a life? You tried to end it if you recall…so why do you care who I screw on your couch? And for your information, it was your friend who started stroking me. What was I suppose to do, slap her hand and send her home?"

"Yes!"

"Have you seen her breasts? Her legs? Her eyes? My God, I'd have to be a eunuch to send that back to the factory without giving it a try."

"This is my home. You could have taken her to your place."

He looked up and then back at her, "Okay, I promise next time I screw any of your friends I'll make sure I do it somewhere else. But I couldn't leave you in your condition last night."

"Well take your groceries and leave now. You can go now."

House shook his head, "One, I need to watch you for forty-eight hours or at least until I go to work tomorrow and two, you owe me breakfast. Now be grateful, put these groceries away, then fix my breakfast. I stopped by my apartment and got a few things. I'm going into the bathroom to take a shower."

House took his shower and then came out to find a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast waiting for him. "Where's yours?"

"They're your groceries, not mine."

He slid the plate at her, his teeth clenched, "Eat the damn food. Then you can make me a plate."

She slid it back, "Go to hell. I don't want your charity."

"It's not charity…you need the food to detox. Now eat the damn food or I'll hospitalize you for a week."

She ate the food and then got up to fix him more. He ate it and then read the newspaper he had picked up from his apartment. She went and took her shower, then washed the dishes. She wiped her hands on the dishtowel and sat down with him to read.

Maia slammed down her book, "I've got to get out. I'm going for a walk."

House stood up and started to get his jacket on.

Maia shook her head, "You don't have to come."

"You think I'm letting you out of my sight? I can't trust you. No, a walk is okay as long as we don't go too far."

"But I take really long walks, I like to go over to Carnegie Lake."

"I'll drive over to the dock and we can walk from there." He could see that she wasn't happy, but he couldn't care less.

They drove over and began the walk around the lake.

"Dr. House, why are you doing this?"

"Call me Greg."

Something pinged her brain cells, as if she had heard someone say like that before with that tone. "Alright, _Greg_, why are you doing this?"

"If I take you in and hospitalize you, you're tox screen will show opiods. The police will be called. With your background, you'll be up in front of a judge before you can get your orange jumpsuit on. You_'_ll end up in jail and frankly, I still want to figure out who's trying to kill you. Plus, they'll start asking how you got the Vicodin and let's just say that there are some people in the police department that have me in their sites. Now you answer me, why did you try to kill yourself? You don't seem like a quitter."

"I've screwed up my life so badly and I've tried so hard to make it up to people. But, no one seems to want to give me a second chance. I can't seem to catch a break. I just don't care anymore. I have nothing in my life that has any meaning, that makes me want to get up in the morning, that makes me want to put one foot in front of the other. To be honest, the only thing I can think about is getting some coke. There's a voice inside of me telling me that I can do anything if I just get some snow."

"Yeah, you can get a jail sentence and a new girlfriend in an orange jumpsuit."

She chuckled.

"Wow, you cracked a smile. I'm shocked."

She smiled, "Believe it or not, I used to smile a lot.'

"Sorry, but I don't believe you."

They both laughed.

As the walked, they talked about the history of Princeton, each exchanging trivia to try and impress the other. House wondered what it was about her that made him feel on his toes. When she wasn't wallowing in self-pity, she was good company. It had been a long time since he had thought that about anyone except Wilson.


	15. Chapter 6 Pinching Pennies part1&2

**Chapter 6**

**Pinching Pennies**

"I have to go to work tomorrow. You better call me every half hour or I'll have the cops over here."

They were sitting eating pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. House was staring, trying to get a read on her. She was still rather glum and he wasn't convinced that if he left she'd still be alive in the morning. He believed her when she said she didn't have any reason to put one foot in front of the other, having been there himself. If it hadn't been for Wilson, he'd have been an obituary in the Princeton newspaper on several occasions.

House went out to the living room while she cleaned up, but after a few minutes went back into the kitchen and dried the dishes. They talked about the difference between law school and medical school, the exchange getting heated at times, but for the most part she had him laughing over some of her classroom stories. Maia constantly sipped on water and he wondered if it was because of what she did for a living. Then he realized that the phone hadn't rung once.

"I haven't heard any phone calls. I thought your clients called you?"

"I've been out of reach and when that happens, they tend to stop calling."

"That must hurt your business."

She shrugged her shoulders, "It doesn't help."

There was a knock on the door and Maia went to answer. House took a seat on the sofa and listened as Maia's muffled voice appeared to be pleading with the visitor. "Just a week…please. I've never been late. I need a week. I've got half of it."

There was a pause and House could hear words here and there from a man, "Sorry, if I do it for you, I have to do it for others…"

There was several minutes of more pleading and then the door closed. Maia came inside, her face clearly in panic. She put her hand up to her forehead and stared at the floor. House knew that whatever it was, it was stressing her out. She grabbed her purse and looked through her wallet, checked her check book. She disappeared into the bedroom and then came out again.

She was standing in front of him, still in the sweat pants she put on that morning and swallowed hard. She patted her hair, pulling it back from her face, exposing the red, tired eyes with large dark circles. She straightened her shoulders and looked at him, trying to appear bold and appealing.

"I, uh…I could uh…I could show you a better time than you had last night."

House said nothing, showed no emotion, he was trying to absorb what she was saying.

She swallowed hard, "I mean, uh…for a couple hundred I could do whatever you like."

It finally hit him that she was offering him sex for money. It struck him both tragic and funny at the same time. She needed money so bad, she was willing to sell her body to him. Yet she hardly looked appealing. He couldn't help it, he started to snicker. He wondered what was so important that she was willing to do this.

"Would you be willing to go commando? No condom?"

She flinched. He could tell that she was weighing in her head whether or not she could take a chance on him, if he was clean. The pause was heavy and House couldn't stand to watch her degrade herself any more.

"Forget it. I was just egging you. Look at you. I just got lucky last night with a gorgeous twenty-something who is more than willing to accommodate me again, with a flick of my phone. And you want me to pay you $200?" He took her by the shoulders and turned her so she could see herself in the hall mirror. She took one look and pulled away from him, ran into the bedroom and closed the door.

House sighed and looked towards the bedroom. He looked on the table and found a piece of paper. _**Three Day Notice to Pay or Quit**_. She was being evicted, unable to pay her rent. He limped down to the bedroom door and listened. He heard nothing from the other side of the door.

"Hey, it's not that you aren't pretty. You're just looking a little run down, not looking your best."

There was no response. He started to get nervous so he opened the door. She was dressing. She was standing in a bra, black tulip skirt, and black nylons. She grabbed a beige peasant blouse that hung off the shoulders, exposing the lacy straps of her bra. Grabbing some black sandals, she rushed past him and into the bathroom where she locked the door. House went back out to the couch and sat down. Within fifteen minutes, the door opened and she walked out to the living room, picking up her bag and keys.

House drew in a deep breath. She wasn't Jennifer, but she looked hot. Her hair was combed. Her eyes were made up with a smoky brown eyeshadow, long black eyelashes, a deep brown eyeliner. He realized she had grey-blue eyes. He noticed that her lips, although small, were the perfect size for her face and looked delicious in the wine colored lip gloss. She looked up and their eyes met just before she slammed her purse shut and grabbed a jacket.

She was out the door before he could do or say anything. He grabbed his cane, keys and jacket, putting it on as he locked her door. He hobbled out to the front and saw her walking down the street at a quick clip. He jumped into his car and drove along, slowing down when he reached her. He rolled down the window.

"_Where are you going?"_ He said obviously annoyed.

She flipped him off and kept walking.

He shook his head in anger and rolled up the window, following behind her until she got to a group of men standing just outside of a bar. She said something to them and they nodded. One put his hand under her elbow to escort her into the bar.

House parked the car in the adjacent parking lot, grabbed his cane and went inside. He could see the man who had escorted her in nuzzling her neck. The waitress brought them two whiskeys. House went over to the table where they were sitting. The man looked up and House unconsciously tightened his grip on his cane. The man was in his thirties, shaved head and beefy muscles.

He looked House up and down, "What's up old man? Make it quick, we've got business to discuss."

House gave the man a sad, pathetic look, "I'm here to get my wife." House looked at Maia.

The guy smirked, "_Wife?_ This is your wife?"

Maia pulled her fist into a ball, "I'm not his wife; I actually have _some _self-esteem."

House looked disheartened, "Tell that to the kids Maia." He turned and looked at the man, "We have two, a four year old and an eighteen month old. Both little girls."

The guy took his arm away from behind Maia's back, "Lady, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I don't sleep with no woman who leaves her kids to go whoring."

Maia looked up to the ceiling as the man stood up, grabbed his jacket and walked to the door. House took the man's seat as the man yelled, "Hey Mister, you ought to divorce that whore. She was going to do me for a hundred bucks."

He turned to her, "$100? You were going to charge me $200."

Maia knocked back her whiskey, "Blow job."

"Let's go back to your place. I'll loan you the money."

She shook her head, "I have no means of paying you back. Plus, you bug the hell out of me and I'd rather not have you lurking about waiting for me to make a payment. You go home, I'm staying and earning some cash." She clenched her jaw and stared straight ahead.

House admired her stubbornness, her resolve, "Okay, come on, I'll take you up on your offer. Let's go back to your place.'

She eyed him up and down, "I don't believe you. If you want it, we do it here."

House jerked his head back and wrinkled his nose, "Here?"

"Yeah, that guy says there's a little office in the back."

House chuckled, "You want me to spend $200 having sex in a little office."

She pulled her shoulders back and said with a steely voice that didn't cover up her nervousness, "I'll make it worth your while."

House wanted to ask where the cameras were, this couldn't really be happening. But he sighed, drank the glass of whiskey in front of him and said, "Fine, let's get going before you're too drunk to do this."

"First I want another drink."

House winced. "Why waste time with a drink?"

"I drink to make you look good."

House snarled, "Now or never. Do you want $200?"

Maia jumped up and walked towards the restrooms. House followed her, she looked across from the women's room at a door with a window and venetian blind. She opened it and found a desk with a chair, file cabinet and lots of papers. She turned on the desk lamp and closed the door, drawing the venetian blinds.

Maia gave House a curt smile and then backed up to the desk and sat up on it. She pulled House into her, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I want the money up front."

House pulled out his wallet and counted out $200, handing it to her so that she could count it. She did and put it into her jacket pocket. She jumped up from the desk and pulled her panties down and off, laying them up on the desk.

_Her panties are so delicate, the butter yellow seems so optimistic for a pair of panties._

She started to undo his belt. She unzipped him and reached in, finding a flaccid organ, with no signs of life. She started to panic. _He doesn't think I'm attractive! He's repulsed by me._ She knew that House was very capable of doing the deed, she had discovered that last night when he was with Jennifer. She was sure it had to be her.

She realized that maybe he was visual and needed more. She slipped the jacket off her arms and pulled down the loose peasant blouse, exposing the demi-cup bra. She pulled down a strap and let loose one of her breasts. She looked up to see him eyeing her breast with great apprecation. She stuck her hand inside his pants again and felt some movement, but not as much as she had hoped. He was standing, just watching her.

She pulled her hand out of his pants, took his hands and his long fingers, placing them on the underside of her breast. He smiled and then started to fondle it, gently at first and then hard, pinching her nipple. He had a much better response to this. She pulled him down and kissed him, one hand around his neck, the other playing with his long shaft inside of his trousers.

He began to react, grabbing her and pulling her close to him. He ran his hand up her nylons to where they ended on her thighs, letting his hands glide smoothly from the transition of the nylon to her creamy skin. Then he paused as he came close to her crotch. She could feel him start to throb with the anticipation of touching her between her legs. She was starting to get wet herself, wondering why this was turning her on.

Half sitting, half draped on the desk at just the right height for entry, Maia pulled down his shorts and smiled; he was rock hard and glistening. She hiked up her skirt and as she did , saw that the money had fallen out of her pocket onto the floor. The money. She remembered that this was _for money_. She had fallen so far that she was willing to turn tricks. Her stomach turned and for a second she thought she'd throw up.

Maia could hear his breath increasing as his hand moved around her breast. He was still wearing his jacket, the only portion of his body that was exposed was his groin. He was pushing into her thigh rhythmically, rubbing hard as he leaned down and sucked on her breast.

House was surprised by how much he wanted her. The sex in someone else's office, the chance that they might be discovered, the fact that he only had access to one naked breast, her body was still covered, it seemed so spontaneous and hot. He quickly felt between her legs to see if she was ready. He took his penis in his hand and placed it at the entrance between her lips, about to penetrate her when he looked down and saw her face. She had her eyes closed and her face turned to the side and down, away from him, as if she didn't want to see or know what he was doing. He realized that she had stopped touching him, kissing him, holding him. She was bracing for what was about to happen as if he was going to rape her. He felt his excitement wane. He didn't want her like this.

Maia could feel something change, he was going soft. She looked up into his eyes and he was sad. She was about to say something, but he looked down, adjusted himself and zipped up.

"Come on, I'm taking you home. Put your panties on."

Maia was both relieved and mortified. She watched him walk out of the office, leaving her there on the desk with her breast exposed, her thighs open and her panties on the desk. She quickly dressed, picking up the money and then joined him in the car. On the way home she started to get angry. Not at House, but at herself.

_I'm not even good at being a prostitute. What's wrong with me? Hell, all I had to do was get it inside of me. Did he do this on purpose to humiliate me?_

They traveled in silence and when they arrived, House kept the motor running, "I'm going home." He reached into his wallet and pulled out a card, "Here's a card, call me every half hour tomorrow and leave a message so that I know you haven't done anything stupid. If you don't, I'll tell the police that you have Marburg and are a walking time bomb."

She threw the money at him, "Just stay out of my life. I don't need you in it. I have enough crap without dealing with yours too." She ran inside and locked the door behind her. It occurred to her that he had a key to her apartment, but it didn't matter anyway. She would be gone soon.

House sighed and put his head on the steering wheel. He needed distance, needed to shut down these feelings.


	16. Chapter 6 Part 2

Snowmelt Chapter 6 Part 2

House arrived at the hospital around 9:00 am and was happy to find a rather interesting patient who had huge welts all over his body. House and the team brainstormed and then the team ran off to run tests. Wilson popped over to his office, took one look at House and knew something was up.

"You look like hell. Bad weekend?" Wilson took the chair across from House's desk.

"I'm not sure. I discovered that a woman had been intentionally infected with bacteria that had been injected into pears. The pears were sent by someone who hates her guts, but they didn't really send them. I stopped her from committing suicide when she found out that the person hadn't really been nice enough to send the pears. I stayed to make sure she didn't hurt herself further. Her friend showed up and began fondling me. My charge caught us having sex on her couch. She got an eviction notice, so she offered me sex for the rent money. I turned her down so she went pounding the pavement. I stopped her from consummating the deal with Bruce Willis. I almost consummated it myself and then went home to figure out why I couldn't do the deed." He paused and then added, "Oh and did I tell you I've been having phone sex with her but she doesn't know that?"

Wilson started blinking and shaking his head, "You lost me at pears. Are you saying you couldn't have real sex with a woman you had phone sex with? And she doesn't know she had phone sex?"

"She doesn't know it's me she had phone sex with…and, yeah, Mt. Gregory had a landslide last night before his volcano could blow." House gave Wilson a silly grin.

"You pay hookers for sex all the time, but you couldn't go through with this? Sounds like you care about this person. Don't tell me you're developing something close to a conscience?"

House shook his head, "No. But when I do, I'll make sure I pay you back what I owe."

Wilson shrugged his shoulders. House picked up the phone and started to dial his voice mail. He listened, but there wasn't a single message from her. He looked up at Wilson in frustration.

"Doesn't anyone respond to blackmail anymore?" House jumped up, grabbed his keys and left in a hurry.

When he got to the apartment building he put up his handicap placard and scurried up the steps. He saw the _Three Day Notice to Pay or Quit _attached to the door. He took out the key and walked inside. The furniture was there, but it was obvious she was gone. Her personal things were all missing. He looked around, trying to figure out where she could have gone. _She said she didn't have friends or family here, or at least any that still cared about her. So where did she go? __Umbatu_

House climbed the stairs to the Umbatu apartment, knocking on the door with his cane. Mrs. Umbatu answered. Immediately upon recognition, she looked away.

"Where is she?"

She refused to make eye contact, "I don't know."

House snickered, "Yes you do. If you don't tell me, I'll have to take your husband back in for some observations."

She looked at him, "Please Dr. House, we promised. She's been very good to us, we can't betray her. She told us how you threatened her too. You're not a nice man."

House snapped his head back, "Threatened her?"

"To beat her with your cane."

"I'm not going to beat anyone. I'm just going to make her life miserable."

"Go away Dr. House, I'm not going to tell you anything."

He stuck his cane in the door as it began to shut. "Come on…I really want to help her."

"By making threats?"

"She tried to kill herself."

"I don't believe you Dr. House. Now please leave."

He could see she wasn't going to budge. He snarled and pulled his cane from the door so that she could close it. She looked at him with disappointment and closed the door.

House went back to the hospital to work on his patient. No matter how much he tried to concentrate on the symptoms, he thought about her.

_She can't afford an apartment, so she's obviously renting a room. How many places in Princeton rent rooms? Not many…_ He pulled out the yellow pages and looked for residential hotels. He dialed the Red Roof Inn.

"Red Roof Inn."

"This is Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, we need to contact Maia Connelly."

"Maia Connelly? Just a moment." House was put on hold. He came back on the line, "She's not answering. Would you like to leave a message?"

House smiled smugly to himself. "What room did you say she was in?"

"I can't give out that information. You can call back later."

He hung up the phone knowing he could concentrate on his patient now.

* * *

Maia had figured it out, at a weekly rate of $49 a night, she was four nights away from a homeless shelter. She had her business calls forwarded to her cell phone and was happy to know that a couple of her regulars were still interested. But it would be weeks before the checks would be processed through her escrow agency. She needed money now.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to sell her body. Greg House had made it clear that she was a disaster at being a hooker. If she couldn't even get him to screw her, what was her problem?

Maia crawled up in a ball on the bed, her head throbbing. She had so much pain inside that she couldn't stop the horrible feelings reeling through her. She sat up and grabbed some motel stationary and started to write down the events of the last four years. She felt her heart lift as the pain poured onto the sheets of paper. In less than ten minutes she had gone through all the stationary in the room. She jumped up and grabbed her purse, running out the door and down the street to Staples. She bought some lined paper, a couple of pens and practically ran back to the hotel. On the way she saw a sign for the local blood bank. Putting her supplies down in the room, she then took the bus down to the blood bank. After lying on the form, she gave a pint of blood, grabbed her check and barely made it outside to the bus bench before she passed out. She was only out for a few seconds, but the man sitting next to her was extremely worried.

"Lady? Are you okay?"

Maia nodded. She was shaking, her blood pressure still low. When the bus pulled up the man asked if she needed help. Maia managed to pull herself up onto the bus, take a seat and go to sleep again asking the bus driver to make sure she got off near the motel.

She woke up two blocks from her stop and got off, passing a grocery store on her way to the motel. She bought some fruit and bread, some Naked Juice and a York Mint patty. When she got back to the motel the manager gave her the key.

"You had a call from PPTH today."

"You didn't tell them I was here did you?"

The guy could tell that he had made a mistake telling them she was at the motel. The woman in front of him didn't want anyone to know she was staying here. "Nope, didn't tell them a thing."

Maia relaxed, she had enough to stay six days at the hotel. Hopefully, she could figure things out by that. She had her fruit, bread and mint dinner as she watched a Hallmark movie downstairs in the lobby. The happy ending just made her sadder. She went back to her room, grabbed her pen and paper and began to write.

The following day, Maia took the bus downtown to the shopping area and started looking for a job. After filling out applications and being told she was overqualified, she stopped putting down that she had been an attorney. Instead she put down she worked in a law office assisting the clients.

She was striking out until she stopped into the Coffee Mate, a bakery, bistro café with eight tables and a long bar at the window with six stools. The store owner was running the cash register when she went up to order something.

She said in hushed tones, "Do you have any day old stuff for sale?"

He looked at her. She was clean, thin, tired. She looked like she had lost her best friend. He knew how she felt, his best waitress had quit the day before, leaving him short handed.

He locked the register, grabbed a curried turkey sandwich on croissant, an orange juice and motioned for her to join him in the back. He took her back to the office where there was a security feed showing the café from several angles. He put the plate down in front of her and pointed, "Come on, you need to eat. Sit down and tell me about it."

She took a look at the gruff man with the big heart and burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, I can wait." He looked up and saw a customer come in on the screen. "I'll be right back."

He went to the front and Maia took the opportunity to collect herself and stop crying. She started eating the sandwich, realizing half way through that she had been extremely hungry. He walked back after the customer left.

"Now, my name is Terrance Baher, but most people call me Bear."

"Maia Connelly."

"Why is that name familiar?"

She held her breath. People frequently had heard of her, but couldn't place the name.

He motioned for her to continue, "Well, don't stop, tell me why you're so skinny and tired?"

Maia chuckled, "I'm broke and homeless. I'm living hand to mouth and I need a job. No one will hire me."

"Why?"

"I'm an addict, a former attorney, a phone sex operator and a lousy hooker."

He started laughing. "That's enough of a resume for me!"

She started laughing too, "I'm not really a hooker, I didn't make it that far."

He shrugged and winked, "I'm sure you have other talents. I need a waitress."

Maia waited for him to say something more, but he didn't. "Are you offering me a job?" She said tentatively.

"You have a better solution?"

She shook her head. "Wow, when can I start?"

"You get a good night's rest and be here at 5:00 am."

Maia wasn't excited about being anywhere at 5:00 am, but she was grateful. "Thank you." She looked at him with her eyes still moist, "It's so strange to have someone be nice to me."

"Well then, wear comfortable shoes and I'll see you at 5:00 am." He stood up and they went to the front. He grabbed another sandwich out of the refrigerated shelves, bagged it and handed it to her. "You have another sandwich, you need strength."As Maia started out the door, Bear cleared his throat and yelled, "I liked your speech from the rooftop."

Maia nodded, closed her eyes and sighed as she pushed the door to the café open. She went home feeling good for the first time in months. She had forgotten to ask how much he was going to pay her. It didn't matter, she was just grateful that someone didn't kick her in the teeth.

The next morning Maia was standing outside in the 30 degree weather at 4:45 am. Bear arrived a few minutes later, grinning at the freezing Maia. "You're early."

"Believe it or not, I am a hard worker."

He chuckled as he opened the back door. "Look, you were one of the top attorneys in New Jersey, I know what that takes. My ex-wife was a trial lawyer. It ended our marriage, whatever was left of it. I never saw her. She did, however, see her associate every day. They're happily married now."

Maia gave his a sweet, understanding smile. "I rest my case."

Maia was grateful where her shift was over. Her feet and legs ached and she needed a shower. The mornings were ungodly busy. Bear handled the cash register and counter, unless it got too busy; the cook/baker and his assistant stayed in the kitchen and Maia handled the floor, including cleanup.

Maia ran like a demon, until Bear slowed her down and gave her some hints on how to handle all the customers. It helped, but she was still running in circles, trying hard not to let the customers wait for anything. Around 9:30 am things slowed down and Maia was able to do a proper clean up job.

She got off at 2:30 pm, waiting until she got home to count her tips. She was excited to find that she had made $52.00 in tips_. I can stay in the motel. Between my phone clients, my waitress paycheck and the tips, I can start to get back a life._ She looked around and the only things she had left to her name was one box of documents and photos, her clothes and some odds and ends. When she left the apartment she told the Umbatus that they could have everything she had left behind, which included several kitchen appliances, pots and pans and half her linens along with the furniture for what it was worth. She did ask them to store two boxes of documents for her, which they did.

Maia sat down and started writing, remembering the first time someone offered her some snow.

I was exhausted. The Meyer case was just about to go for trial and I wasn't sleeping. Mickey Meyer was back in the hospital with complications from pneumonia and I wasn't sure he was going to be able to testify. Without his testimony, the Meyer's case was good, but not great. I needed him to give a face to their pain. Mickey had been a senior in high school when the propane tank, leased from Jersey Propane Company, exploded due to poor maintenance by the company of the tank. It had turned cold, so Mickey's mom told him to go out and relight the heater when the flame went out. Mickey turned the valve and struck the match, causing a backflash. Mickey had third and second degree burns over 50 of his body.

Despite my fatigue and concern over the case, I had to go to a Trial Lawyer's meet and greet at the Hyatt to give an award to one of the local judges for her support of the trial lawyer's free clinic. In reality, I just wanted to go home and collapse. I was in the bathroom at the Hyatt leaning up against the wall, barely holding myself up when Danielle Parks walked in looking perky and cute.

"Maia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing a month in bed wouldn't cure."

"I know what you mean. This is hard work. We don't get enough credit for how hard we work."

I nodded. Most trial attorneys work 50-70 hours a week, more just before and during trial. "I feel like I'm going to collapse. I don't know how I am going to get though tonight without dropping."

She looked under the stalls in the bathroom and then up at me, "I have something to perk you up." She pulled out a little silver pill box. Inside was an eighth of an inch of white powder. Danielle showed it to me and raised an eyebrow as if to ask if I wanted some.

"Coke?" I asked.

"Good coke. You'll perk up, feel on top of your game."

"I don't do drugs."

"Look, it's not like you're selling your body or soul. It's only for tonight."

Famous last words. I felt so good on coke, I knew I had to have it to get through the trial…just the trial. After the trial I wasn't going to buy anymore. But just as I was finishing one trial, another one started and another. I had three back to back trials and by the end of them, I couldn't live without my $300 a day coke fix.

My friends knew. I was dabbing my dry mouth with breath freshener every other minute and sniffing. Plus, I could say complex sentences in less than two seconds. I was on the freeway to my own demise.

Maia put her journal away and watched some television, falling asleep within minutes, sleeping the sleep of those who have worked an honest day's work.

At lunch the next day, Bear saw Maia pull out her tablet and start scribbling. "What's that?"

"The memoirs of my meltdown."

"You should sell it."

I shook my head. "No one wants to hear about this."

Bear shrugged, "I'd read it. I'd like to know what caused you to end up in your underwear on a roof giving a speech about the court system. You could use my computer in the back to write if you want."

"Thanks Bear.'

"Oh, and I need for you to fill out this paperwork."

Maia looked at it. "An application?"

He snickered, "You don't need to fill out your education or experience. I just need the basics and your W-4."

Maia filled it out and put it on his desk at the end of her break. He came out a few minutes and motioned for her to come over.

"You're address is a motel?"

She nodded. "Just a temporary thing until I can save some money."

He put a hand on her shoulder, "I want you to come with me."

Maia looked around, there were two customers in the restaurant. Both were busy eating and working on their laptops. Maia followed Bear to the back where there was a set of stairs leading up to a room full of boxes, a futon, table, dresser, little refrigerator and bathroom.

"I use it as storage now, but when I first purchased the restaurant, I lived here. You can stay up here if you clean it out. I won't charge you anything. You'll be able to save some money to put down a deposit on a place to live. All yours."

Maia grinned and nodded, "Oh God Bear! Thank you! Thank You!" She started hugging him and jumping up and down.

"Okay, okay!" he said as he tried to pry her arms from around his neck.

Maia spent two days cleaning and purging things upstairs. She moved in on the third day, realizing that living above a restaurant had some pluses and downsides. The cook always left her the leftovers which meant she paid very little for food. But, she could hear the dishes clink as they were being cleaned all day until the restaurant closed at 10 pm. The cook stopped cooking at 9:30 pm, meaning the smell of food and bakery goods being baked at night and early morning permeated the room for most of the day. It wasn't a bad smell, in fact, it was great, but it always made her hungry!

Maia liked her little world, it made her feel safe for the first time in years.


	17. Chapter 7 Surfing for Compliments

**Chapter 7**

**Surfing for Compliments**

Maia continued her nighttime job, answering phone calls. But her favorite client hadn't called for her for over a month. She had come to terms with the fact that she was probably not going to hear from him again.

_January 30__th__ – 10:50 pm_

"Hi! My name is Cali. What's your name?"

"Cali, it's me, G."

Maia's heartbeat went wild. She swallowed hard and ran over to the bed to sit and make herself comfortable, "G? It's so good to hear from you! You know this is being recorded and …"

She heard the star key.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"Oh, G. You wouldn't believe what's happened to me. Life's been crazy. I was sick for several weeks, had to move and found a really nice day job."

"You've been busy. You were sick?"

"I was in the hospital for several days."

"But your doctor cured you?"

"I had two working on my case. Oh man, you wouldn't believe this one doctor. God, was he a jerk. He was mean and egotistical. He thought he was God."

House was feeling a little miffed, "_But he cured you."_

Maia was a little surprised by his tone. He almost sounded angry. "Yes, he was brilliant and he cured me. I understand that he's one of the best in the world and I was lucky he was on my case. Well, he wasn't _on _my case. He was supervising the doctor who was on my case."

"Ah, so was this doctor, kinda like Ben Casey? A devilishly handsome and brilliant doctor?"

Maia started giggling uncontrollably. House waited, getting more perturbed every second.

"Oh, hardly Ben Casey. If you could have seen this guy! He's disheveled, probably 50, scruffy beard, wrinkled clothes. My _real_ doctor was nice, but a short Jewish guy who had a wedding ring on so I assume he was married."

"Well, getting back to the brilliant one. Didn't he have any redeeming qualities?"

She sat back. _I don't want to tell him he was handsome. You never tell a client that you think someone else is handsome…do you? _"Well, he cured me."

"That's it?"

"Isn't that enough? He's a doctor."

"I don't know, I was just thinking, maybe you could give me a fantasy with you and the doctor."

"The doctor? You want a fantasy between me and a doctor you've never met?"

"Why not? You've heard of voyeurism? Just think of me as a voyeur. So this doctor is scruffy and ugly?"

"Well, not ugly. He has nice eyes, really nice eyes."

"Ah, nice big, brown eyes?" House baited her, fishing for a compliment.

"Do you like brown eyes?"

House exhaled, "Well…they were brown, right?"

She hesitated. "You're acting a little strange tonight G…are you high?"

He banged his head back on the headboard in frustration. "Just tell me the story."

"Blue. The most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen. Long fingers, long like my cousin's. They're graceful hands, almost too graceful for a man. He's tall, so tall that I have to stand on tip-toes to reach his lips. His lips, they're wide cupid bows on a long face and square jaw. He looks intelligent, witty and mischievous. His hair is thinning and it's mostly gray mixed with brown. He has a freckle on the left side of his forehead and lots of crows feet. He has a nice cock. It's long and round enough. And with his kisses I can feel his tongue slip inside my mouth, searching for my tongue. He smells like a man, but not pungent. In fact, when he's excited his smell is an aphrodisiac, it's hot. He's crippled though, I saw the scar on his thigh and it's pretty dramatic, mean looking. He has to use a cane. But in some ways, it's hot. He does some funny moves with his cane, it's an extension of his sensuality."

House, pleased that she could go into such detail, butted in, "Did you have sex?"

Maia chuckled, "Are we talking real life or the fantasy?"

"_Real life."_ He yelled.

"Hey, what is up with you? You don't have to yell at me."

"Uh..well, I'm just interested._"_

_"_You sound like you have a cold."

House looked at the saran wrap over the receiver that he had placed to disguise his voice. "Yeah, sinus thing."

"Oh. Well, we almost had sex, but he…"

House waited, but she went silent, "Hey, the meter's running. He what?"

"You know, I don't think I want to talk about this."

He could sense she was upset, "What's wrong?"

"G. It wasn't my finest hour. I tried to make him have sex with me."

"Ah ha! So you did find him attractive!"

She sighed, "In an odd way. I'm sure you're much more attractive."

"Stick to the story. What did you find attractive about him?"

"Why are you obsessed with this doctor?" She was starting to get flustered.

"I don't think I'm the one obsessed. You seemed to have noticed quite a bit about him."

"It's just that he was here for awhile."

"Get back to the sex."

She laughed, "I was going to be evicted. I needed money."

"And he was going to pay you the rent money for sex?"

"No, I offered, but he didn't think I was good looking enough."

House started laughing, she had forgotten that she was suppose to be the gorgeous Cali aka Jennifer. "Really? He doesn't like tall, lanky, brunette coeds?" House almost laughed out loud when she started to sputter.

"Uh, uh…uh, he likes blondes."

"Really?" House said suspiciously.

"I guess I just wasn't his type. He didn't like my looks." She took a breath, "He told me that I was ugly." She started crying.

House felt guilty for making her cry, for telling her he found her unattractive. Sitting there on the bed he realized that he wanted her more than the lanky girl in the advertisement. Maia was more real to him that the gorgeous Jennifer.

She continued, "He felt pity for me. To keep me from walking the streets he was going to go through with it. But he couldn't, he found me too repulsive." He could hear her trying to hold herself together, "So I guess it's time for me to come clean. I don't look like the photo in the magazine. Obviously, I don't look anything like the photo in the magazine or he wouldn'thave found me so repulsive. If you met me, you'd probably be disappointed. I'm not tall and I'm not brunette."

"Hmmm. Do I get a discount now?"

She started laughing. He loved hearing her laugh.

"So did you get kicked out?" he asked.

Her laughter slowed to a chuckle, "Yes. I was evicted."

"Are you homeless?"

"No, I met a wonderful man. He's really taken care of me."

House sat up straight, _"You what? You met a man?" _He thought back. He had called the motel a few weeks ago. _She met a man in that quickly?_

"G man, you sound upset."

"I called you on Christmas and since then, you've met and seduced a doctor and now you've met a man who takes care of you? You move quickly."

She pulled the receiver back and looked at it, "G. you sound jealous."

He was. "This new guy, have you had sex with him?"

She thought about Bear. He was in his early fifties and a big, broad teddy bear of a guy. He had a good head of black and gray, wavy hair, mustache and broad shoulders. He was six foot plus with a slight, but not unsightly, paunch. He was single, but he hadn't made a move on her. She assumed it was because she had become somewhat unattractive since her downfall.

"No, not yet."

He twisted and leaned forward, "But you _intend_ to have sex with him?"

"G man. I've let you get very personal tonight, but you're starting to sound a little like O.J. Maybe we call it a night."

He needed to know more. He had to calm down or he'd lose her. He was calm, softer, "I'm worried about you. You haven't had good luck with men and now you talk about meeting this guy who's taking care of you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

She smiled at his kindness, "Don't worry, this man has been really nice. He gave me a job, a place to stay…he gave me hope."

"You're not at the motel?"

A chill went through her. Maia said very slowly, "Motel? I didn't tell you that I was in a motel."

"Simple deduction. You had to move out of your apartment, but you didn't go to a shelter so a motel is the most likely place to go."

The hairs on her neck didn't lay down, but it did seem logical. "No, I'm not at a motel."

"Where did you go?"

"I live above the place I work at during the day."

"Where's that?"

She chuckled, "I think it's time for me to go. I don't think you want phone sex, do you?"

He kicked back and put his head on the pillow. "Tell me, you said your doctor was going to take pity on you and boink you anyway. What happened?"

"I told you. I was so repugnant to him, he couldn't do it."

"H e told you that?"

"He told me that he didn't want to do it with me because I look like crap. When re relented, he couldn't consummate the sex. You can put two plus two together."

"Maybe he's just not capable of doing it."

She snickered, "No, he's very capable of it. I found him having sex on my couch with the woman in the advertisement. I pay her a percentage of my take so she came by to pick up her check. He was at my apartment, they went out and the rest is part of my nightmare."

"Wow! Maybe he couldn't do it with you because it was about the money. He knew you really didn't want to have sex, you were just doing it for the money?"

"Now you're being too kind. Isn't there a maxim that says the simplest answer is usually the right answer?"

"Occam's razor."

"Simplest answer is that he couldn't stand the thought of having sex with me."

House blew air out of his cheeks, "Well, if you won't tell me where you're working, at least tell me what kind of job you have?"

"I'm a waitress. Do you want me to finish the fantasy with the doctor?"

He felt like he had hit a dead end. "It's okay. I'm tired." He paused, "But I do have one question."

"What?"

"Did you want to have sex with the Doctor?"

"No, I don't think so, at least not like that. I didn't want to do it for money and I sure didn't want him to do it out of pity. Okay G. You sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

_What was that about? Is he so lonely that he just calls to talk? Why do I care, it's nice to have someone who just wants to talk with me. I'd love to see what he looks like._

* * *

Wilson tapped his feet both in anger and to keep warm. He saw House walking towards him, wrapped in his blue peacoat and ski cap. He walked up to meet him. "Forget it, the movie started five minutes ago."

House's breath curled in a fine cold mist, "Five minutes? Only five minutes and you're pissed? Come on, let's go in, we can still figure out the plot."

Wilson turned and started walking away, "Fine, let me know if I should go see it."

House frowned and shook his head around in disbelief and frustration, "Come on." He caught up to Wilson, "You're not mad because we missed the first five minutes of a Bruce Willis film are you?"

"I'm just tired of always waiting for you."

House looked across the street, "It's 1:40. It's playing at two of the theaters, we can make the 2:15 pm. Let's go grab a cup of coffee in there." House nodded to the bakery.

Wilson raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously.

House snarled, "Okay, I'll even buy."

Wilson said nothing, but headed towards the restaurant. When the walked inside, there was the pleasant aroma of bread and pastries baking. There was a large display counter with various goods for sale, a cashier's area and then numerous tables to choose from, the lunch crowd had apparently come and gone. There were only three tables occupied.

House and Wilson took a table close to the window, sitting down and looking at the beverage menu. Maia walked out when she heard the bell from the door tinkle. She was carrying Eggs Benedict and a café late for table 5. She looked up briefly and saw two men at table 3, one with his back to her. She set the food down, asked if there was anything the customer needed and then went back to grab some menus. As she made her way over to the table she recognized the man facing her as one of the doctors from the hospital. She stepped up between them and smiled down.

"Can I…" Maia's mouth opened slightly and then she froze.

"Miss?" Wilson asked. Wondering why she seemed almost frightened of House.

House looked up at the sound of her voice. He smiled broadly, happy to know that his luck had changed after looking for her in every restaurant he passed by. "So you're still alive?"

Maia could feel beads of sweat forming and her heart racing. She cleared her throat, "May I get you something to drink?"

There was a strange pause as Wilson watched the two of them size each other up, "Café mocha late for me." Wilson was hoping she had heard; she looked like she was in a trance-like state.

House felt like the cat that had caught the mouse. He took a good look, she looked better, much healthier. She was putting weight on again and her hair was a shiny golden blonde.

She shook her head, "I can't do this. I'm sorry, I'll send someone else out to get your orders." She turned and trotted into the back. House pulled his hat off and tried to fix his hair with his hand before grabbing his cane and taking off after her. He saw her in the kitchen handing her order book to some burly man before rushing up a set of stairs in the back.

The man came out, took a look at House, "Can I help you?"

"Bathroom?"

He motioned with his head, "Behind you." He took another look at House, "Are you one of the men who needs their order taken?"

"Coffee and a tuna croissant." House said.

The man nodded and then went out to talk to Wilson. House reached in the bathroom, flipped the light on and then shut it closed to give the appearance that he was in there. He hobbled to the stairs, looked up and made his way, one at a time up to her little studio. There was no door at the top of the stairs, just a double wide doorway. He peaked in and saw her sitting on the futon holding a pillow to her chest and staring off into space. He took the last step inside.

"Maia. "

She looked up, annoyed and nervous, "Greg, please leave. This is my home, please get out."

He walked over and sat down next to her, "I could say I missed you, but I don't miss a pain in the ass. I am curious to know how you're doing."

"Fine, I'm fine. I landed on my feet and I'm fine. Now, can you go?" She was calming down, growing stronger.

"Good." He paused, not sure what to say. Now he started to get nervous. He had the mouse, but it was turning into the 800 pound gorilla.

"I think it's time you leave. Now you know, I ended up here. I work and live here. I'm doing fine. I'm grateful you saved me, kept me from killing myself. So does that help? I will be forever grateful to you for saving me. I've thanked you. Please, please go. You're a reminder of the lowest point in my life and it hurts just to look at you."

The way she said it wasn't malicious or sarcastic. It was a plain and simple statement of fact and it hurt. House didn't want her to think of him as the pinnacle of her defeat. But he knew he wasn't going to change that perception today. He stood up, looked into her steel grey eyes and left. He took a short detour to the toilet and then back out to Wilson. The sandwich had already been served.

Wilson leaned forward, "What was that about?"

"She's the one that was purposefully infected with two strains of bacteria."

"Oh. Well, she looks healthy now. Did you find out who did it?"

House's nose wrinkled, "Nah, we kind of had a falling out."

"Why does that not surprise me. She looked like a zombie when she saw it was you. You better eat up and _pay the bill_. We only have ten minutes."

House felt both sad and happy. He wished she had been happier to see him, but there was no denying he would enjoy the game that was about to begin.


	18. Chapter 7 Part 2

"You've seen every movie at that movie theater except _Flowers for My Sister_! I'm not going to a chick flick. Why don't we go to the mall? They have more theaters there, more choices."

House shrugged his shoulders, "I thought we'd have dinner at that little restaurant across the street. I liked my sandwich."

Wilson's eyebrows shot up, "Oh ho! You just want to see the waitress! You've got a crush on the waitress."

House shook his head and looked frustrated, "I don't have a thing for the waitress." He paused and smiled, "I just liked my sandwich."

"Yeah, like they don't make good tuna fish on croissant down at the local Quiznos."

"Fine! If you don't want to see the movie, I'll go alone. I just thought _Sisters _might help us get in touch with our feelings. You know, the feelings you claim I don't have."

"House, if you want to see her, just go ask her out."

House didn't want to admit that Wilson was right about his motives. But he could see he had lost the battle, Wilson was on to him. "Because she won't."

"Then why bother?"

"Because if I take it slow, I could get her to like me."

"Right, " Wilson raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "you're going to get her to start liking you because you're so charming and full of cheer?"

House pouted, "I can be charming!"

"Sure…but don't forget, she's already seen the real you and she ran."

"I have a secret weapon." House thought about the phone calls.

"Yeah, what?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?"

"You're on your own, buddy." Wilson walked back to his office, leaving House to stare into space.

House made sure he wore his least wrinkled levis and a really nice t-shirt under his suit-coat. The beginning of March had turned warmer than usual and House thought he could get by without a jacket. He did grab a wool cap and a scarf. He looked in the mirror. _No nose hairs, ear hairs or food __between my teeth._ He sprayed on _Herrera_ and checked out his hair. He had gone to a stylist instead of his barber. She had styled it and pumped it up with volumizer.

He took off for the restaurant around 9:15 pm knowing he would be one of the last customers. As soon as he arrived he looked for her. House was disappointed when he saw a young, not very pretty, coed waiting tables. She brought him a menu as the only other couple in the place got up to leave. House watched the waitress clean the counters and start taking the older food out of the refrigerated display and throwing it away.

She came back over, smiling, "You just made it, the cook was about to close the kitchen. What would you like?"

"I'll have the country fried steak sandwich and a Guinness. Where's your bathroom?"

She pointed to the back, "Just down there on the left."

"Thanks."

House made his way down the hall, turned the light on and closed the door so that it would look like he was inside. Peeking into the kitchen, he saw the waitress talking to the cook as she finished a coke. House scurried to the back as fast as his bad leg would let him and up the stairs. Most of the lights were off except a light inside her studio that illuminated the stairs. He looked around, but she wasn't home. House, frustrated, walked back down. The young waitress saw him coming off the bottom stair.

She narrowed her eyes and furred her brow, "The bathroom is right over there."

"Oh, well, it looked like someone was in it so I went to find another one."

She knocked on the Men's room door and opened it, "It's empty."

"Thanks." House went inside and took a leak. He knew that the waitress was becoming suspicious.

When he came out he went out to the table, deflated and sad. He stared out the window into the night and saw that he had guessed wrong, it was snowing. _Great, it's going to be colder than snot when I go out there and slicker too. _He heard the waitress talking to someone and so he looked over his shoulder. She had the door opened to the office and was holding a conversation with whoever was in it.

"…coming down the stairs. I pointed him to the bathroom, but I don't know if he took anything or not. You might want to check."

House sighed._ Crap, I can just see that big guy coming after me._ He waited and when the waitress appeared with Maia, a smile crossed his lips.

Maia frowned, "Oh, Ida, don't worry, I know him. He's more a nuisance than a threat." Ida left and Maia looked down at House, her fists resting on her hips, "Do you want to explain what you were doing up the stairs in the back?'

"I was just going to say, hi."

Ida brought him his food and put it down. She looked to Maia to see if she had done the right thing by serving him and Maia nodded approval.

"Greg, I really would prefer it if you didn't come by here anymore."

House dipped his head and pursed his lips, "I don't think I can. I'm addicted to the, huh, croissants." He picked up his sandwich and with mock glee took a big bite.

She snickered and shook her head, "Seriously, I don't think we have anything to say to each other."

House straightened up and turned serious, staring in her eyes, "I saved your life. Not once, but twice. Most people would be kinder."

Maia felt horrible. She did feel like she owed him something, but she just couldn't stand thinking of that last night and his rejection. She sat down, her legs still turned out, ready to jump up and run. Leaning forward she whispered, "You were the one who made it very clear that I was someone you weren't attracted to. Now, if you've come to rub it in, here I am. Tell me what a piece of crap I am, a loser, an ugly scag. A woman who couldn't even get laid. I'm ready. Maybe if you get it out of your system, you'll leave me alone. I know you think this is a joke and that you get a kick out of embarrassing me for throwing myself at you."

House continued eating while Maia spewed. He showed no emotions, just interest in what she was saying. What Maia didn't know was that all House was selectively hearing was, "…here I am…tell me…get laid…throw myself at you."

When she stopped House nodded and smiled as he continued to chew. "You know, you're not half bad if you could learn not to spit when you talk." He knew she hadn't spit, but it caught her off guard. She rubbed her lips with the back of her hand.

* * *

"I'm sorry." She looked unnerved. 

He finished his sandwich. "Aren't you going to invite me upstairs for a drink?"

She jumped up and went back to the office, slamming the door. House paid the tab and gave the waitress a nice tip. He walked back to the office.

"Mister, you can't go back there."

House continued without acknowledging her.

"Mister, I'm going to have to call Bear and he won't be happy."

House opened the door to the office and saw Maia at a computer. She looked up at him. "I'm calling the police." She picked up the receiver and started to dial. He sat down.

"Go ahead if you think they're going to arrest a doctor for sitting and talking to the woman who had two major infectious diseases and hasn't been in for a follow-up."

She hung up the phone. "You need to leave, my boyfriend owns this restaurant and he's really big. "

"The guy who gave you your job and lets you live in a doorless studio upstairs? Nice boyfriend."

"I live there for free. It lets me save money."

"I don't buy this boyfriend stuff. I didn't see any signs of a man upstairs and you're here, alone, on a Friday night. For someone who owns the restaurant, you'd think he'd manage to give his girlfriend Friday night off."

"I don't care what you buy. You better get out before he comes down to the restaurant."

"Is his name Bear?"

Her mouth dropped open, "How did you know?"

"Because your waitress just told me she's calling him."

Maia jumped up, "Oh crap." Maia knew that Bear would rush down and, since he only lived a block away, he'd be busting through the door soon. "You really are a pain you know."

"You'll love me once you get to know me."

Bear burst through the door and was surprised to see Maia calmly sitting at his desk and the man that Ida said was acting weird, also calmly sitting across from her.

"Oh! Darling, I just found out Ida called you. " Maia jumped up and came around, putting her arm around Bear's waist. He furred his brow and looked down at her arm. Maia smiled up at him, "_Honey_, this is Dr. House, the doctor who cured me back in January when I was sick."

"Maia?" Bear was looking at her and could tell she was trying to get him to play along. He still wasn't sure, but he turned to House, "Thank you Dr. House, I'd hate to think of me losing my little Maia. Now, can I ask, what are you doing here in my office?"

"Trying to convince Maia to come in for a follow-up." House purposefully smiled at Maia, "Now Maia, did you tell Bear about your coaching job?"

Bear pulled his head back and looked to Maia for answers. Maia closed her eyes, put her head in her hands and clenched her teeth, "I coach people…life coach."

House volunteered, "People turn to Maia for ideas on how to become successful."

It all seemed ludicrous. Maia, a bakery waitress, giving advice? Maia knew House was mocking her. But Bear nodded, "It makes sense. Who knows better what to do or not do than a woman who's been both at the pinnacle of her profession and the lowest valley. Smart idea, sweetheart." He gave her a hug.

House felt a jolt go through him when Bear's muscles tightened into a hug and Maia hugged back. "Oh bull shit! You're not his girlfriend and she's not your boyfriend. This is ridiculous."

Bear pulled his arm from around Maia, grabbed House's upper arm, "Dr. House, you need to leave. Thanks for stopping by, but you've worn out your welcome."

House looked down at the large hand wrapped firmly around his arm. He looked up at Maia, who was clearly shocked by the turn of events and a little embarrassed by it all. She looked away from House who turned and left.

When they got out into the hall, Bear turned to him, "Dr. House, Maia seems uncomfortable around you. I think you'd be wise to leave her alone. Do you get my drift?"

House wasn't going to acknowledge him, but it was clear he wasn't going to get to leave unless he did understand. House nodded. On his way out the door House knew that this was only a minor setback. _I know where she lives and where she works-that's half the battle._

* * *

Maia spent most of the first three weeks of March working on her book. It wasn't until she looked in her index cards to log in a call from "Gandolph" that she remembered it would be one year on March 28th that she had first talked to G-man. She touched her hair and smiled at the thought of his first call. She wished he would call again.

She was bored, things were looking up, but for the most part, she led a solitary life, doing nothing more than reading books, writing her novel and working. She had a steady stream of callers and she was making enough money now that she could afford an apartment in a few months. But she quite liked her little studio and the proximity to work. Still, the only thing exciting to happen lately, was the visit from the good doctor.

March 28th arrived with a hail storm and lots of customers running in, out of the hail. By the time Maia got off her shift, she was dead on her feet. She grabbed a smoothie and climbed the steps to her studio, kicking off her shoes and kicking back with the used laptop she bought on Craig's List. She worked on her novel and took a few calls. Around 9:00 pm she watched television, falling asleep on the futon without pulling it out. The client phone phone rang. She looked up, 11:55 pm. Maia just wanted to sleep, but she could use the money. She reached over and picked up the phone.

_March 28__th__ 11:56pm_

"Hello." Maia put her hand over the receiver and cleared her throat, "My name is Cali, what's yours?"

"Did you think I'd let the day go without wishing you a happy anniversary?"

She sat up and grinned, "G-man! Anniversary?"

"Our one year anniversary was today."

She heard the star button.

"You remembered?"

"I have to admit, I was throwing away some old papers yesterday, getting my taxes ready and I saw the phone bill from last year."

"Yes, well this year has been memorable, no matter how hard I try to forget. Still, I'm impressed."

"How's waitressing?"

"Ah, work is the curse of the drinking class. Tough day. The hail chased everyone inside for coffee." She was so excited and giggly. This man was probably a frog and yet she looked forward to hearing his voice. "How have you been? I was thinking about you a few days ago, wondering how you were doing. Any gigs lately?"

"Gigs?" House remembered that he told her he was a musician, "Oh, gigs! Yeah, plenty, enough to let me call you."

"That's good, I'd love to hear you play."

"Well, I'm sitting at my piano right this very minute."

She gasped, "You'd play for me, really?"

"For our anniversary I'll even pay _you_ to let me play!"

"No, I won't charge you for this call."

He thought about what would be the best move, "I want you to. Don't worry about it."

She melted, "Thank you."

"What do you like? Jazz, classical, pop?"

"Can you play me, "What'll I do?"

"Sure." He started to play. Not embellishing at first, keeping the chords and melody simple. On the second refrain he added in several alternating melodies and contrasting chords. He thought it sounded pretty impressive. When it was over he picked up the receiver. "Well?"

"I feel horrible."

He was stunned, the playing had been as good as any professional. "What? Didn't you like it?"

"I thought you were lying, embellishing, when you told me you were a musician. But that was simply fantastic. If I had been sitting next to you, I would have jumped you."

"I remember the piano bench sex like it was yesterday."

"What would you like tonight?"

"I want you to kiss me with your soft lips; that warm tongue licking your lips just seconds before you embrace me. I'm sitting on the edge of my bed and you climb up and straddle my lap, grabbing my hands and putting them on your ample, but not too ample ass. I can feel your breasts pushing into my chest as we kiss, you smell good, like vanilla. I nibble your lip, licking your earlobes, blowing softly, tickling you. You giggle, the sound making me want to hold you even closer. I help you take off your top and am very happy to see your breasts overflowing from your bra. I kiss the tops of both of them, then unsnap the bra from the back. As it falls, I dip down and take your breasts, pushing them together, licking both of your hard, pink, nipples, sucking them gently at first, then harder and harder. I'm so swollen by now, I have to adjust myself. You can feel it pressing against my trousers, so you reach down and unzip me. I twist and dump you on the bed, remove my trousers and then climb back up to kiss you and play with your white breasts. I don't do anything but touch you, hold your breasts in my hand, pinching your nipples. I move my hand down your tummy and into your panties. Letting my fingers comb through your soft pubic hair, your breath catches. I manage to get just the tip of my finger between your folds, stretched long enough to touch your clit. I rub it gently as I kiss you, pressing my tongue between your lips. You kiss me back, enjoying both the wet and warmth of our tongues and the wet and warmth of the fruits of my finger."

House could see her in his mind and he was getting excited. He wanted to touch her, not her body, but her psyche. He wanted her to want him.

"You take your pants and panties all the way off and I watch as the slight roundness of your abdomen appears first, then the wavy strands of hair fanning up from the slit between your legs. You're so hot, I have to pull you to me, to hold you, feel the softness of the curve in the small of your back as it blends into your round, inviting ass. I've never held anyone so delicious in my life. As I start to kiss you down your breasts, your tummy, your mound, you open your legs inviting me to play. I spread your folds with my fingers and start to push my tongue against your bulging clit. I lick and suck to the beat of my heart as it races. You angle your petals towards me so that I can get comfortable. But it isn't necessary, I can feel your body giving up to me. Your abdomen tightens under my palm which rests on your tummy. Your thigh muscles contract and your body goes still, letting me do the last few seconds of work. You look down into my eyes just before you start to scream as if you're in pain, uncomfortable, but it's the orgasm raging through you. I continue my rhythm until you clamp your thighs against my head and pull back. I climb up, spreading your wet, sopping folds with my fingers. I can hardly wait, I'm so engorged, the pressure is too much. The smell of your sex, the sound of your breathing, the look in your eyes inviting me inside, wanting us to join, is too much. I have to penetrate you, make you mine. I push hard. Even though you're wet, it's still tight and I have to work to dance inside of you. I can't take it, just the feel of you, the muscles inside of you, the tingling starts in my balls and pushes up through my erection and then into the rest of my body. With each ejaculation I thrust up as far as I can stab. Once, twice, three, four times and then I collapse onto your breasts. I'm so overwhelmed by the feelings going through me. I'm happy, I want to hold you. I capture you up in my arms and roll off. You curl up into me, your head on my chest and leg over my legs. Then you smile, a smile so full of hope and longing. It hurts for me to think you could ever leave my arms. I watch as your eyes grow sleepy and close. I look at your little face, the eyelashes falling on your cheeks, your breath calm and even. I want you to be safe, to be happy. I want all the pain to stay outside the door. In this bed only we exist. Only the two of us wrapped up together, warm and satisfied are in the universe. I want to wake you and tell you the things that I feel. But I can't. I can't. I can't risk it. If you don't feel the same for me, then I'd be lost. Better to have this aching, this desire to love you, than to know you don't love me back. "

There was a pause.

Maia's breath and heart were finally slowing from the orgasm that had ripped through her. She was listening intently, holding on to each word. She started to say something, not sure what. She wanted him to know that she was falling in love with him. Ask him not to tease her, not to tell her stories that weren't true. She wanted to crawl in that bed with him, no matter what he looked like, it didn't matter. She managed to speak his name, "G-man I…"

She heard the click and the dial tone. The phone read, 12:22 am.

Maia screamed, "_No! God no! Oh God, I can't take this."_

She rolled into a ball, pissed at him for hanging up. She wanted him; she wanted him to hold her, make her feel loved. She wanted so much to let someone take care of her, for a minute, for an hour. She was just so weary of having to dig herself out of her hole. She turned and looked at the receiver which lay on the floor, knowing she would never be the same again.


	19. Chapter 8 Leg Over

**Chapter 8**

**Legover**

House hung up, shaking his head, feeling anxious about what he had said. In fact, he wasn't sure where the last few minutes of monologue had come from. It was stupid, cheesy. She was probably laughing, rolling on the floor over his sentimentality. House wondered how he could defuse it, take it back. But as soon as it came out of his mouth, he knew the cat was out of the bag. He didn't want to hear her response, the rejection in her voice, so he ended the call. He poured the Maker's Mark and knocked it back.

He didn't call her, couldn't call her…not after making a fool of himself. He was relieved when the rest of March saw a string of new patients, all occupying most of his time. It wasn't until April that he had enough time to put his plan into action. The spring weather was a welcome break to the cold winter. When he had time off, House watched the restaurant from across the street, ball cap pulled down as he appeared to read a book on the walkway bench. He occasionally talked to customers who were regulars, discovering that Maia got off at 2:30 pm. Her days off varied, but were usually Tuesday and Wednesday.

It was a Tuesday. House had worked six days straight and was taking the day off. He watched as she made her way out the front of the restaurant and started walking down the street, preoccupied with papers in her hand. He followed behind, admiring her sensual sway. He was curious when he followed her into the local computer store where he saw her looking at printers. The smell of vanilla hit him as he came up behind her.

"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."

Jumping, Maia squeaked from surprise, turned around and snarled, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might like to go out for pizza and some sex."

Her jaw dropped.

"What? Don't you like pizza?"

"You know, tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy. Have you ever thought of not being crude?"

"Look, I know that sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. Yes is the answer."

She kept shaking her head. "No, thank you."

"Okay, no pizza. How about sex?"

She almost smiled, "No! I remember your enthusiasm the last time we tried it."

"Can you blame me? You wanted too much money."

She shrugged her shoulders.

He gave her the warmest smile he could muster and then did a little tap dance. "I'll settle for coffee. One little, tiny expresso."

She sighed, walked down the aisle so that no one would hear, then shook her head, "Greg, go away."

He held up two fingers, indicating a small amount, "Tiny, itsy, bitsy expresso."

She exhaled in frustration, "You're not going to take no, are you? Let's get this over with." She stormed out of the store, House following quickly behind. The air was clear, the wind strong and crisp, blowing her hair into her face. She blinked at the sunlight, took out her sunglasses and put them on. House did the same. Putting his hand on her elbow, he guided her in the direction of the little bistro down the block.

House took the chair opposite Maia and stared at her with an intensity that was almost comical, as if she was Carmen Electra. Maia stared back, not saying anything, but secretly wanting to bust up laughing. He wouldn't take his eyes off of her. It was as if he was afraid that if he blinked she'd disappear. The waitress came up to the side and gave them a strange look, curious as to why the two adults were sitting perfectly still, just staring at each other.

"Can I get you something?" The waitress picked up her pad and waited.

"I'll have a diet coke."

House looked up, "Coffee, white, with one sugar."

When she left, House went back to staring, but Maia had already grown bored with the game; she was staring out the window. Turning back to him she chuckled, "You don't have long to impress me. I suggest you start working your magic."

"I'm staring because you're looking much better, almost pretty."

She snickered, "_Almost?_"

He winced, "Okay, you're looking well."

"Ouch, that's a step back from good looking."

He smirked and turned his head away from her, talking softly, "Go out with me."

She turned in the direction he was looking, "Are you asking the wall?"

He turned and stared bug-eyed at her, "_Go out with me_."

She said nothing for a few seconds as she thought. _It's not like intelligent men are breaking down my door to woo me. I get asked out, but they're always plumbers and mechanics, great guys, but __hardly someone I can talk to about black holes and quarks. He did save my life and he's got enough money to take me somewhere nice. I could do worse. He's good looking._

"Okay, one date." She leaned over and said firmly, "One date."

He nodded slightly, "Saturday night. I'll pick you up at 7:00 pm. We'll go for dinner."

She laughed, "You like to take chances, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Dinner means you have to actually talk to me. For you that's taking quite a chance. That is, if the goal is to get me to go out on another date with you."

He smiled. "You may be surprised; I might just be charming and winsome."

"I don't think so."

The waitress brought the drinks, sitting them down along with two napkins. Maia gave the waitress a warm smile, turned, still smiling and looked into his blue eyes. She felt a pang of desire ping through her from her breasts to her groin. The hairs on the back of her neck went up. Something wasn't right.

"How's the counseling going?" He asked.

She looked down at the table, "It's starting to pick up again."

"Did your former clients stay with you?"

"Yes, I lost a few, but I kept the best ones."

He stirred his coffee to cool it off, "Is there one that's a favorite?"

"I can't discuss my clients with you."

He chuckled, "You aren't their attorney, doctor or priest. There's no legal obligation to keep your yap shut."

"But I do have a moral one."

"Just tell me, who's your favorite client?"

"Well, he's got a bad leg like you. But he's nice and he's a musician. "

"And he just needs a little stimulation…give him some get up and go…a pep talk. Isn't that what a life coach does? Help him rise to the occasion?"

She turned red and was about to say something when she heard a "pop"…"pop," followed by House grabbing her sleeve and yanking her down to the floor with a thud. He put an arm over her head as she heard the squeal of tires outside.

A woman screamed behind her, _"Oh my God! Leonard, Lenny…__are__ you okay? Wake up_."

Maia tried to turn over, but House continued to cover her head, "Stay down for right now…wait a second." His face was only inches from hers.

Maia could feel and smell his breath on her face; it smelled like coffee. "What was it?"

He had his hand on the back of her head and looked deep into her eyes, "Someone just fired shots into the restaurant."She tried to raise her head to look, but he pushed it down. "What don't you understand about staying down?"

"But, it sounds like the shooting has stopped."

House picked his head up and then raised up cautiously to look around. Maia started to lift up and found her faced smashed back down on the ground by his long fingers. He was frustrated, "_Will you stay down_?"

Maia gave up and lay back down. House looked around and saw the two holes through the glass and the man, obviously dead, on the floor in the back of the restaurant. Several patrons had dropped to the floor or ran out the back. The waitress was hiding behind the counter. Everyone looked scared out of their wits. The blood from the dead man was pouring out from the wound in his temple. House realized he was going to be there for the rest of the afternoon once the police arrived.

He looked down at her. "You can sit up."

Maia sat up and looked around, "Oh my God, is he dead?"

"Yeah, here." He handed her his cell phone.

"What's that for?"

"If you were supposed to be somewhere today, you better let them know you aren't going to make it. We're going to be here for awhile." House nodded at the dead man.

"Why? I don't know him; I didn't see anything."

"Doesn't matter, they're going to be interested in you."

"You mean all of us."

House shook his head, "No, I mean you. That man was sitting almost directly behind you. Both the holes in that window line up with you. They only missed you by a fraction of an inch. "

Her mouth dropped and then she chortled, "No, you don't mean that. Who would…" and then she remembered the pears. Without thinking she reached out and grabbed House's lapel out of fear. "Oh God! Greg, do you really think that they wanted to kill me?"

"Well for once, I don't think it's me they want dead. Unless they have uncorrected myopia."

Maia turned white. He was watching her react, thinking how vulnerable she looked. Her eyes were searching his for comfort. He leaned down, brushing his lips over hers, opening his mouth slightly, his tongue barely separating her lips and touching the tip of hers. He gave her a gentle kiss, then pulled back, seeing that she had closed her eyes, looking almost childlike.

She opened them and looked up at him confused, "Uh, uh…uh…I, uh…"

"Would you like to buy a vowel?"

She chuckled, relieving some of the tension.

They sat up as police and paramedics rushed inside. Maia turned to House, "Could you keep your theory to yourself?"

"No, you need protection. Someone wants you dead."

She looked sad, "Greg, come on, you know a lot of people want me dead, I just don't want to have to relive it all over again."

"Don't you think the guy on the floor deserves to have his killer caught?"

She looked at the woman who was bent over the man, crying, and nodded, "Yes, of course."

A female police officer came over, "Are you two alright?"

They looked at each other and nodded.

"I'm Sergeant Ferrier, the detectives will be here soon. Can you tell me where you were sitting?"

House pointed, "This table."

The Sergeant looked at the glass and then the location of the table. Another female showed up and crossed to talk to the police officer.

"Right. Sergeant what do we have?"

"This couple was sitting at this table. They're lucky to be alive looking at the angle of the bullets."

The dark haired woman stared into House's gorgeous eyes, "I'm Detective Smithers, homicide. I understand that you were both sitting at the table in front. Can I ask who was sitting in which chair?"

Maia said nothing. House, annoyed with her silence, turned to the detective, "I was there and she was sitting in that chair where the bullet came through."

"Names?" the detective asked.

"Maia Conelly."

"Dr. Gregory House. But you can call me Greg."

Maia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. _Straight from kissing me to flirting in front of me with another woman._ _What a jerk._

House could feel Maia's anger wafting off of he and smiled to himself. He would normally allow her to stew in her jealousy, but he knew he couldn't play it up too much or she'd walk away. _I better regroup and behave or she'll find a reason not to go out with me_

"Detective, this isn't the first attempt on Maia's life."

The detective cocked her head in interest, "You two better sit down and tell me."

They sat at the table and House told Detective Smithers about the pears. She turned to ask Maia about her past when Smithers stopped and stared, then smiled.

"You're the attorney who bitch-slapped that defense attorney."

Maia closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping.

"Oh, hey, don't worry, you're my hero. I wanted to do the same thing for a long time. She's so condescending. You know, you helped my girlfriend's daughter, Linda, for free. You wrote a few letters to the insurance company when they refused to pay her medical bills from a car accident. You got them to pay her bills and she got $15,000 on top of it. Do you remember that?"

Maia shook her head, "No, sorry. I did that a lot. I wrote a lot of letters for free. I only charged for the big cases, I had enough of them to let me help out on the smaller matters without charging."

"Well you're one helluva lawyer. I was sorry to see what happened to you. A lot of us on the force were sorry to see you get tossed. We loved your rooftop show!"

House was impressed, he knew little about Maia's successes and all about her failures. He reached over and put his hand on hers. She jerked a little and then looked up at him, surprised to see a glimmer of kindness in his smirk. She turned back towards the detective.

They spent an hour telling the detective everything that they both knew. Except Maia couldn't bring herself to tell the Detective about her porn chat line. House noticed that Maia hadn't told the detective about her side business, but he didn't think it had anything to do with the attempts on her life anyway.

"Well, it's been quite awhile since you had the pear problem. Perhaps we have two separate incidents that aren't related. Why didn't you report the pears?" Smithers looked at both of them.

"She thought the police would be more amused than helpful."

Maia looked at her. "I've had enough humiliation in the last few years. I guess I just didn't want to have to admit once again to the world that I had screwed up so badly that someone wanted to kill me. Every time I have to talk about my past cockups, a little part of me dies. I've really worked hard to pull myself out of the hole."

The Detective gave her a heartfelt nod and then took a deep breath, "It may be two separate incidents, but we shouldn't take any chances. You need to stay with some family or friends. Let us know where you're going to be. We'll be in touch. Thanks." She handed them both a card and then went over to talk to the CSI team.

Maia shuddered, "I think I'm going to go home, I'm still a little shook up."

"Home? Where are you going to go stay?"

"I'm just going to stay above the store. I can't ask anyone to take me in if someone is trying to kill me."

"Okay, come stay with me for a few days until the police figure out what's going on."

"_You?"_

House laughed, "You don't have to sound so disgusted. I don't bite."

She grabbed her purse, "I don't think so. I'll see you on Saturday at 7:00 pm. Bye Greg." She turned and, in a fast clip so that he couldn't catch her, took off towards the Coffee Mate.

He was going to go after her, but she was traveling at such a fast speed that he knew she couldn't catch her. He turned and went back to his car, driving home by way of the restaurant, he peaked in, but didn't see her. He looked around and realized how easy it would be to get to her in the restaurant.

House pulled up and jumped out, walked through the restaurant and straight to the back, shocking the waitress on duty who didn't know what to do about a customer walking through the staff areas. House made his way up the stairs, catching Maia coming out of the bathroom.

"Ahhh!" She yelped. "My God, what are you doing?"

"I'm showing you just how easy it is to get to you if someone wants to."

They both turned around when they heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Bear appeared in the doorway, scowling, "Oh, it's you again. " Bear crossed the room quickly, ready to toss House out.

Maia jumped in front of House, "Bear! It's okay; he's a guest this time."

House yelled angrily, "I am not. I'm an intruder come to kill Maia."

Bear took a step towards him, not sure whether to believe him or not.

Maia rolled her eyes, "He's nuts."

House shook his head and told Bear about the pears and the afternoon shooting.

Bear looked at Maia, "You were involved with that shooting? It's all over the news. They thought it was some kind of gang drive-by. Maia, this guy is right; you need to lay low for a few days. He's just demonstrated how vulnerable you are. You can come and stay with me. I have an airbed."

House jerked back, "You should come with me, you need to get out of this area for a few days." He looked at Bear, "She'd be safer out of this general area."

Bear nodded at House, "Where do you live?"

"Baker Street."

"He's right, I just live a block down the street. You're more vulnerable in this neighborhood."

She sighed and frowned, "Bear, you're assuming that someone is really trying to hurt me."

He gave her a stern look and put and hand on her shoulder, "I think we have to assume that."

"Then I'll go back to the motel I was staying at before I came to the restaurant."

Bear put an arm around her and pulled her off to the other side of the room. House made a face, trying hard to hear what they were saying.

"Maia, you shouldn't be alone and I know you don't have anyone else to stay with. This guy seems legit. You said he's the doctor who saved your life…twice. He keeps showing up so obviously this guy's interested in you. He has a strange way of showing it, and I don't think I really like him, but I think you need to take him up on his offer for a few days until we can talk to the cops. You have tomorrow off too. I'll see you on Thursday."

She stood, arms crossed, breathing heavily through her nose, "You two think you know what's best for _me?"_

House glanced at Bear. They turned and nodded. She shook her head and grabbed a backpack, throwing things angrily into it. Turning back to House, Maia barked, "Well, I'm your new houseguest, if you'll excuse the pun." She looked over at Bear, "I'll be back on Thursday."

As they disappeared down the stairs Bear chuckled and yelled out, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."


	20. Chapter 8 Part 2

Snowmelt Chapter 8 Part 2

On the way home, House and Maia talked about the possible motives for killing her, but came to know conclusions. They arrived at House's apartment a few minutes later. Opening the door, he walked inside in front of Maia. She stepped cautiously over the threshold and looked around.

"What? You pull down at least $15G's a month and this is how you live? In a two bedroom apartment?"

House shook his head, "One. One bedroom apartment. I have a one bedroom apartment."

She squeaked, "_What? __One bedroom?"_She went quiet for a few seconds, trying to control her frustration, "Well, all I can say is, 'Where are you going to sleep?'"

He pointed to the living room, "It's a fairly comfortable couch. I thought you might like it."

Maia's clenched her teeth, "It's a leather couch, how comfortable can that be?" She glanced over and saw the baby grand and the other instruments, smiling when she remembered G-man playing piano for her. Before her mind actually registered it, her body went cold. Her blood drained from her head, making her feel not only oddly woozy, but foolish.

_G-man?__Cane?__Piano?__Musician?__ Enough money to pay for phone calls…oh crap! Please God, don't make this jerk the man __who can__ make me come over a phone. That would be a very cruel joke._

Maia started to sway. House could see that something was wrong. She put a hand out to catch herself on the sofa but missed. House caught her as she crumbled into his arms, against his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he grabbed her and led her around the sofa so she could sit down, "Are you okay?"

Her voice came out in a whisper, "Yeah, I'm okay." She looked up at him. He was staring down at her, his brow furred. _Does he know? Does he know I'm Cali? Oh my God, of course he does, he slept with Jennifer. What an idiot I've been. He's been playing me. _

Her eyes filled up with tears, they spilled over, down her cheeks like tiny streams. House tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you crying? I haven't even tried to touch your breasts yet." He sat down next to her and in a voice of frustration volunteered, "Okay, I'll take the couch."

Covering her eyes, she could hardly get it out, "You're him. You're G-man."

He flinched and went quiet. Watching her continue to cry, he reached up and softly took his thumb, stroking it across her cheek to remove the tears, "I know I'm not what you were expecting—I'm probably infinitely better looking and educated—but so what?"

She looked up into his eyes, "You've been playing me. You've known for months now."

He reached over and pushed her hair behind her ear, trying hard to keep himself from saying something to scare her away, "You were kind of slow on the uptake. But you should be relieved. I've been calling you even after sleeping with the real thing."

She turned, head tilted, eyes cast down, "Yeah, out of pity, to make up for that night when you didn't want to have sex with me because you found me unappealing."

He shook his head and, clearly annoyed, yelled, "Oh for God's sake, get over yourself. It had nothing to do with your looks. I had a hard on; you think I can muster a salute for someone I'm not attracted to?"

"Your salute wasn't very snappy, it faded pretty quickly."

"Yeah, after I saw you recoil and look away in disgust. You couldn't even look me in the eye. Hell, Tommy Lee on Viagra would have had a flat tire with the way you cringed in horror."

She covered her eyes, embarrassed, "I was at my lowest. Here I am with a man who didn't really want to have sex with me, yet he was doing it so I would accept his rent money. I felt cheap. I didn't want anyone to see me like that. I especially hated myself for resorting to asking you for money." She took a deep breath, "Then when you couldn't go through with it, I felt ugly and undesirable." She shook her head and sat straight up, "I can't stay here. You've been playing me all these months. You've been laughing behind my back. And that last call? You broke my heart when you hung up." She started sobbing again, "And now, you're doing it again. I wanted what you said to me to be real and it wasn't. It was just your idea of a cruel joke."

She started to stand up, but he reached up and pulled her back down. "No, you're going to listen. I kept calling because, even after I nailed the babe in the photo, I realized it wasn't her that I wanted. You know, sex is only half the equation. I said a lot of things the other night on the phone and I meant a lot of it. Stay."

"But why?"

He was going to say something glib, but quickly checked himself. He swallowed, "I enjoy our conversations, your frankness, your flaws. You're more messed up than me, you're stubborn, you get kicked down and you come back. Even when you were soliciting me, you were fighting back, surviving. I enjoy watching the wheels in your head go round. "

She looked at him like he was crazy, "You liked the fact that I was going to sell my body for money?"

"I liked that you hit your low point and then decided to fight back. I've been there too. But we're both survivors. We're both still here."

"Greg, I don't know. You're talk good talk on the phone, but up close and personal, you can be mean and cruel."

Displaying his feelings had cost him and she wasn't getting it. He wasn't going to throw himself on the altar if she wasn't listening, "Then go, I don't need your self-righteousness crap. Here, I'll give you some money for a taxi, just make sure you get as far away on it as possible."

Maia stood up and looked down at him. He was angry, pouting. He pulled out his wallet and threw a Benjamin at her. She looked down at the money and shook her heads, "No thanks." Grabbing her bag, she walked to the door. She looked over at the piano, the bottles of liquor, the back of his head, feeling so conflicted it was making her nauseated. She had wanted him for almost a year and, here he was being handed to her on a plate. Seeing the money on the floor, a reminder of that night, Maia opened the door and walked out. When she reached the street she turned towards her side of town and started walking, almost running.

_I don't understand him. He's so aggravating and needy at the same time. On the phone he's funny, sweet, sexy, kind. In person he's cruel, irreverent, __brutally__ honest. Honest? Almost honest, he wasn't honest with me about the calls. __Lies by omission.__ But maybe it's easier for him to __be loving__ at arm's length, to say the things he can't in person. Oh crap, I can't be his mother._

Maia continued down the street, he pace slowing as she thought about that phone call.

_"…It hurts for me to think you could ever leave my arms. I watch as your eyes grow sleepy and close. I look at your little face, the eyelashes falling on your cheeks, your breath calm and even. I want you to be safe, to be happy. I want all the pain to stay outside the door. In this bed only we exist. Only the two of us wrapped up together, warm and satisfied are in the universe. I want to wake you and tell you the things that I feel. But I can't. I can't. I can't risk it. If you don't feel the same for me, then I'd be lost. Better to have this aching, this desire to love you, than to know you don't love me back. " _

His voice echoed in her head. She stopped in her tracks, _Oh crap, am I really that stupid? _Maia looked around. She had already walked a dozen blocks.

House sat on the couch for a few minutes trying to pull it together. He got up and grabbed the bottle of Maker's Mark, pouring a large glass. He chugged back half of it and then threw a book across the room, striking the bookcase. The doorbell rang. House quickly crossed the room without his cane, opened the door and jerked his head back in surprise.

Maia jumped forward, grabbing his face in her hands, attacking his mouth with a force that knocked him back. She kicked the door closed and started taking off his shirt, becoming frustrated when the small buttons refused to budge. She yanked, ripping the buttons off in one quick action as House still struggled to keep on his feet and kiss her at the same time.

"Crap!" he yelled as he stumbled backwards.

She didn't really hear him, she was pulling his belt off and unzipping his pants. House wanted to return the passion, but was still trying desperately to catch his balance and return her kiss at the same time. He finally backed into the couch falling over and taking her with him. They rolled off the couch onto the floor between the couch and the coffee table, House on top. He pushed the coffee table away and started kissing her. Reaching up, he grabbed a pillow off the couch and put it under her head.

In a voice, tight with the passion flowing through him, he growled, "Get your top off" and then grabbed at the edge of her top, lifting it up. She sat up, pulling the top over her head. House, seeing the round bubbly tops of her breasts, grabbed the cup of her bra, squeezing her breast until she winced, then ran his hand down her midriff to the button on her pants. Undoing the button, he watched her top go flying across the room. He tore at her pants and started pulling them down with an urgency he hadn't experienced in years. She took over, pulling her pants the rest of the way down while he fumbled with his own, jerking them over his thighs and onto the floor. Maia leaned back down, lowering herself next to him on the floor. House wasn't sure what to grab next, except that he remembered the sweet pink nipples from that night she took the pills. He wanted another look at them, but her bra was still covering them. Reaching under and unsnapping the hook in one flick of his fingers, jHouse saw her head lift up to meet his lips. His mouth was open, smothering hers as their tongues met. House felt as if he was going to burst with excitement. He tugged until the bra flew off . Continuing to kiss her, he slipped his long fingers up around her breasts. He lifted up to look down at her round, white breast in his hand. He slipped the hand down and under her ass, then around to her thigh, under the elastic of her panties and up to her mound. After he ripped her blue satin panties off, House rolled on top where she could feel his erection rubbing against her thigh.

House lifted up and grimaced, "Crap, I've got to get a condom."

"Oh no…" She dropped her head down to the floor, looking up at the ceiling. "That's a buzz kill."

"Hey, I could go commando, but probably not a good idea."

"I know, go get it."

He got up, naked, his erection throbbing as he hobbled towards the bathroom. He opened up the medicine chest and grabbed three condoms, quickly turning towards the living room. As he passed the bedroom he heard her voice from inside.

"Greg."

He turned and looked through the bedroom door, seeing a slim, perky-breasted Maia, naked and delicious, motioning with her finger for him to come to bed. He smiled, undid the condom wrapper and dressed himself. Crawling up on the bed, he pulled her back with him onto the pillow. Maia giggled and ran her hand down the stubble on his face.

"I still don't believe this." She said.

"If we don't consummate this soon, I think I'm going to explode. And you know, if I do, that will be on your conscience."

"Kiss me."

He grabbed her hair gently and pulled it back so he could kiss her. She wrapped her legs around him as he slid down to suck on her strawberry pink nipples. House looked back up into her eyes. His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't understand what it was he was feeling. It was so overwhelming, so difficult. He realized that the feeling was odd only because it was so foreign; he felt joy and passion.

Maia smiled, "Greg, screw me. I don't want to wait any longer."

He parted the folds between her legs with his fingers, slipping one inside to test the waters. Maia was wet and warm. She grabbed his erection and guided him to the mouth of her vagina. He edged it inside a little at a time. Maia couldn't take anymore, she pushed down, swallowing him up inside. He let out a short gasp and closed his eyes.

She reached up and slipped her tongue into his ear, licking in circles and breathing softy as she did. The wet and the warmth of her breath made him come fast and hard. He moaned with each thrust. Maia pushed up with each thrust, swallowing him as he moaned with the force of his ejaculation. His balls exploded as he felt the orgasm push up through his penis and the rest of his body. He closed his eyes, unable to hear or see anything. She kept pushing her hips to engulf his long shaft until the orgasm had ended and the discomfort started.

"Okay, okay. Ah, ah. Okay. That's all I can take." House was trying to pull out, but Maia couldn't help herself. She masochistically clamped down again on him, sending uncomfortable almost ticklish sensations through his sensitive shaft and head. He exhaled quickly and chuckled, "You little minx."

Maia giggled and then begged, "Just a little more. Finger me." He understood. He pulled out of her and substituted his fingers making sure he rubbed her clitoris as he stabbed his fingers into the warm, wet pool of fluid that seeped out of her.

Her eyes flew open as her body flushed. She could feel her abdomen and her thighs tightened. The muscles in her vagina throbbed around his fingers. House could feel the throbbing as she cried out. "Greg, oh God, Greg, yes, yes, yes, that's it. Oh God!" The wave came and House lifted his head to watch her. He loved how her nipples hardened, her body flushed, her thighs tightened. He looked at her toes as they curled while her hips pushed up into his hand, swallowing the fingers inside of her. Everything tingled around her vagina as she continued to grip his fingers with her climax. It finally waned and she crossed her legs to keep his hand still and to stop him from rubbing any further. He pulled his hand out and kissed her over and over, excited from the sight of her orgasm.

Her breathing was still uneven, but he could feel his body calming, the exhaustion taking over. House smiled and pulled the cover over them. Maia took a deep breath to inhale his musk and the smell of their sex. She looked up, "God you smell good."

He laughed and shook his head, "You've got to be joking."

"No, between the smell of our sex and your body odor, I'm in heaven. It smells so hot."

"I want to get rid of this wet, sticky rubber, but I don't want to let you go so you're going to have to come with me to the toilet."

She giggled, "You mean I have to stay connected to you until we throw away a rubber?"

"Come on. "

"I promise to be here when you climb back in bed with me."

He rolled off the bed, pulled her ankles to drag her to the edge of the bed. She laughed like a child, then stood. Together they walked arm around each other's waist towards the bathroom. She grabbed a glass of water as he pulled the rubber off and flushed it down the toilet, then turned and, started to worry that she might want more in a few minutes. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to get it up for it for quite awhile. The constant abuse of Vicodin had made it difficult for him to recover quickly. He needed to get her out of the bathroom so he could grab a Cyalis from the medicine chest.

"Uh, why don't you go back to bed and wait for me."

"You promise you're not going to climb out that window?" she teased.

"Are you kidding, this is the first sex I've had in a year that I didn't have to pay for." He gave her a peck on the lips, turned her around and swatted her butt as she left. Maia, smiling to herself, climbed into bed, pulled the comforter up and closed her eyes while she waited.

House cleaned up a little, despite the fact that Maia found his odor to be an aphrodisiac. He popped a pill, brushed his teeth and then limped into the bedroom. Her eyes were closed and when he climbed under the covers he quickly realized that she was fast asleep. He realized that he had about fifteen minutes and then he'd be easily aroused by anything she did, such as turn in the bed, sigh, smell, lay there, not breathe. He hoped she wouldn't mind be awaken by an aroused man who had just ravished her a few minutes before.


	21. Chapter 8 Part 3

Snowmelt Chapter 8 Part 3

House tried to doze off, but he was excited by his good fortune. He looked over at her and was blown away by the fact that, despite her stubbornness, he really liked her. Strangely, the fact that she was hot in bed and nice to look at was just icing on the cake. What made this so different from his past was that he felt a connection. He was just hoping that she didn't wake up and decide it was the worst mistake she had ever made.

He waited twenty minutes and then nudged her. She turned over on her side, her back to him. He grabbed her, pulled her into him and ran his hand over her breasts. She immediately woke up and turned, slightly shocked when she saw his face.

She let out a sharp chuckle, "I must have dozed off." She could feel him, erect and ready to have sex. "Well, I can tell that you're happy to see me. " She turned around to face him.

He kissed her, "I want you on top."

"I take it you're a breast man."

"Oh, next will be from behind so I can see that gorgeous ass and the time after that will be on our sides. I think after that we'll have to find some foodstuffs and blindfolds."

"You certainly expect me to be around for awhile?"

He figured what the hell, why not tell her, "Not really, I just took a Cyalis, I figure we could get that all done in an hour."

She started laughing, "Then let's get started." She started playing with the hair on his chest, lifting up to ask him, "Did you really take a pill?"

"I wasn't going to tell you, but I think you might find out in a few minutes anyway when he keeps rising to the occasion."

She grinned, "You thought you had to perform for me?"

He looked sheepish, "It was just insurance."

She shook her head, "No, you were afraid you wouldn't measure up to …what?"

"I just thought I'd try it out. Now are you going to waste this good boner by talking?"

"Greg, I don't need non-stop sex."

He nodded, "Well, right now, I do."

She started giggling and found she couldn't stop.

He rolled his eyes and smirked, "I take Vicodin by the handful. It has an effect on performance sometimes."

She stopped giggling. "You know, I really like your honesty. It's so refreshing."

He gave her a painful smile and pointed to his erection. "I'd like to use this sometime in my lifetime."

"Ah yes. 'Say hello to my little friend.'"

He frowned, "Not so little."

"True. Definitely on the big side of average."

"Thank you. Now jump on."

She snuggled up to him, his warm, hairy body enfolding her. House dragged his lips from her lips to her ear, pulling her earlobe with his lips. It made Maia shudder as she ran her hand down his hip to his leg and then over to the scar. House froze. She rubbed it gently. When he didn't move she pulled back to look at his eyes. He was staring at her without expression. She picked up the covers and slipped down to kiss his scar.

"No, don't."

She looked up, "Does it hurt for me to touch it."

He shook his head.

She rubbed his thigh harder, more like a massage and then took his erection in her mouth. She continued to rub the thigh as she took her tongue and followed the blue vein up the side of his erection. He looked down at her. He watched her massage his leg and then he concentrated on the sensation from the suction of her mouth on the head and shaft. The feel of her mouth and her hand, both moving in unison, was so intense he started to thrust up into her mouth. Maia angled her mouth to accept more of him. He reached out and put his hand on her head. When she tried to pull up he wouldn't let her lift all the way, his hand stopping her. She went back down and sucked harder, taking her tongue and licking around the rim. She stopped massaging his thigh and used her hand to rub just below his balls while her other hand started pumping him hard and fast. His eyes squinted, his mouth opened and the muscles in his legs contracted. Maia felt the semen squirt into her throat over and over as he grunted. Finally, he yelled out, "Christ, no, no more." He pulled her head up with his hand on her hair. She backed off, rubbing her mouth with the back of her hand.

House tried to catch his breath. He smiled at her as she climbed up to the pillow. He rolled over on top of her and then slipped two fingers inside of her making sure to rub her clitoris with a steady rhythm. He had his head on her breasts, looking down at his hand disappearing inside of her. She closed her eyes and started to tilt her pelvis up to meet his hand. She screamed, he looked up at her, picking up the pace between her legs until she closed her thighs up, refusing to let him rub any further. He pulled his hand up and collapsed back.

They both smiled, Maia moving so that she could put her head on his chest. Closing her eyes, Maia could hear his heartbeat, its rhythm lulling her into a deep sleep. She hadn't slept that well in months.

House could feel her warm body touching his, her head laying flat on his chest, hre breast pushing into his side. He dreamed that they were on his sailboat, the one he sold after his infarction. Both of his legs were in good shape, he was able to man the lines as she manned the helm. The seagulls were flying above; he could hear their high pierced cries. She was smiling and laughing. He had a beer in one hand and some of the ropes to the mast in the other. The wind picked up and he secured the sails. He could smell the salt in the air, feel the cool ocean winds sweep through his hair and across his body. Her blonde hair was flying all over and her face was even more freckled from the exposure to the sun. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He felt happy.


	22. Chapter 9 One Foot Forward

**_Dear Readers, I am going away from Wednesday, February 26th to March 4th to a film festival in Columbia, MO. I may not be able to post every day during that time (although I am taking my laptop with me.) If you want to know when I do post, please mark the author alert at the drop down window. This is a longer post for you because I'm going to be busy most of the day and night. Please leave a comment, it's always nice to hear from readers. Thanks, Gorblimey2_**

**Chapter 9**

**One Foot Forward**

Around 6:30 pm they got up and watched television. The shooting was the lead story on the news. Apparently, the man behind her was Leonard Yost, a retired professor from Princeton. He and his wife of 36 years had been shopping when they stopped in for a bite to eat. The police had a few leads on the car, which had been stolen. But it hadn't been found. The weapon used had been a semi-automatic. The newscasters played up the shooting, but had no real information other than what had been reported in the first three minutes of the broadcast.

Around 10:00 pm House looked at Maia, "I think we've answered the question about who gets the bed. Are you ready?"

She nodded, "I am tired, but I want a shower."

He showed her where the towels were, then looked at her, "I think I need a shower too."

"Yeah, I don't know if I want you in there with me; I know you're just going to be thinking of that girl you had shower sex with…"

He chuckled, "I'm so tired, I don't think I'm going to be thinking of much."

Maia pretended to pout, "Gee, thanks."

They ran the shower and took turns soaping each other. There was no sex, just gentle touching and caressing. House thought that if she had pushed it, he could have performed, but he was glad that she had jumped out of the shower just when it was getting heated and things were beginning to stir. He really wanted to go to sleep.

She went over to his linen closet and grabbed some sheets, announcing matter of factly, "Your sheets need changing. When did you change them last?"

He answered defensively, "A week ago, maybe ten days, no more than twelve."

She chuckled, "You're so…butch."

He furred his brow, "Thanks, I think."

They changed the sheets. Maia went out to the living room to retrieve her things, dressing in her shortie pajamas. She came back with a bottle of water, brushed her teeth and climbed in bed with the very naked House. He was going to say something about her attire, but decided it wasn't worth it. If he wanted her naked, he'd just ask. House turned on his stomach with an arm across her tummy. He leaned over, kissed her on her lips and then reached up, turning off the light.

"Greg?"

"Hmmm?"

"How long have you known that I was Cali?"

"When I found the pear wrapper. I also found your index box."

"Were you disappointed?"

He knew this wasn't one of those times he needed to be completely truthful. Truth in moderation would work here, "I never really expected you to look like the photo, so I wasn't surprised." He didn't tell her that he had secretly hoped that the woman on the other end was a brunette with eyes like Stacy's. He had been disappointed that she was a blonde, freckled and short. It wasn't that he found her unattractive; it was just that he had paid for a certain image and found the wizard behind the curtain to be someone completely different.

"Why did you keep calling?"

He wished she'd just go to sleep, but knew that she would be offended if he suggested they revisit the subject in the morning. "I called because you were the hooker with the big heart and I was attracted to your flaws. You were so truthful and unvarnished, I like that."

He rubbed her tummy, "Goodnight?"

"Goodnight."

He wasn't sure where the melody was coming from, but he felt the bed move and knew she had jumped up. She grabbed something from the night stand and ran out of the room,as she did the melody followed her. He realized it must be her cell phone. He sat up, worried that it was something to do with the shooting. He sauntered out to the living room and saw her profile as she sat on the couch.

"…$3.95 a minute. This will be recorded until you press the star button indicating that you accept these terms for my services." Maia looked up at House, who was clearly unhappy at the turn of events. She covered the receiver and mouthed, "Go back to bed."

House stomped off down the hall, climbing in bed. He switched the light on and put his arms up on the pillow, supporting his head. He waited, thinking through the day's events. He didn't want to share her with anyone, even a voice on the other end of a telephone.

When she appeared in the doorway an hour later, he looked at her without saying anything. She could see he was annoyed. She put the phone on the night stand and crawled in next to him. She smiled down on him, "Sorry."

"An hour?" he said.

"Drunk. Took awhile to get him off."

House flinched.

Maia was shocked. Phil hadn't cared what she did; he knew she needed the money. Phil had known how far she had fallen, what she had given up and, what her fall had done to her. She needed the money to dig herself out of her hole. House just saw that it was taking her away from him.

"It's my job. You didn't seem to care when it was you on the other end of the phone."

He said nothing at first. He couldn't take it, "Why do you need to do it now?"

"Do it now? I lost everything. They came in and auctioned off my pans, my scissors, my photo frames, my t-shirts, hats, purses, screw drivers, even the little picture hangers in the walls. I got to keep two suitcases full of clothes and four boxes of photos, documents, CD's and a back pack of odds and ends. I thought I couldn't fall any further. I rented that apartment with Phil's help. I thought I'd never have to go through that again. And then I got sick. I moved into that little hotel and had to leave my used pots and pans, my Salvation Army couch, bed, chest of drawers, mix-matched silverware and plates behind. And now you ask me if I really need to keep doing the only thing that has consistently made me money?"

"Oh, boo hoo. How much do you make doing it?

"I make about $1200 a month."

"I'll pay you $1200 to make me dinner or clean my apartment or be my girlfriend."

She giggled and tickled him on the sides, "You'd pay me to be your girlfriend?"

He brushed her hair back and reached around her to hold her. "Why not?"

She kissed his cheek, "Maybe because I'm willing to give you the milk for free."

"Well, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you from getting up at 2:00 am to have phone sex with someone else, at least when you're with me."

"I tell you what; I get Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. I'll start putting my voice mail on those days. But that 's the best I can do. I can't take your money and I want to save up to get a condo or something."

"You want to buy property on a waitress salary?"

"I'm not going to be a waitress for the rest of my life. Besides, I'm also making money from my phone operation. And I'm writing a book."

"A book?"

"About what happened. Let's go back to sleep, okay?"

He felt her curves beneath the shortie pajamas and almost suggested they make love. But he decided that they could have plenty in the morning. He kept his mouth shut and gave her a kiss on the mouth, one on her forehead and one on the tip of her nose. Within minutes they were both asleep.

* * *

House was surprised to find that she was still asleep when he woke up. He turned to look at her, on her side, rolled up in a ball. Her eyelashes laying lightly on her cheeks, her hair messy. She looked very peaceful, relaxed and content. He scooted over and kissed her cheek. She opened one eye and smiled at him, crinkling her nose. 

"Morning." House said.

"What time is it?"

House turned and looked at the clock, "9:50."

She jerked her head up to look at the clock herself, "I slept that long? I haven't slept like that in years!" She chuckled. "Must have been the sex."

He pulled her into him. She smiled when she felt the push of his hard-on against her leg.

"It might just be a morning woody, but I figure we could take it out for a spin."

"I'll be right back, I gotta pee first."

She went into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, grabbed a washcloth and cleaned up. House came in behind her, peed and brushed his teeth too.

"Damn, there goes that woody." House turned around and wiggled his eyebrows, "You mind giving a guy a hand?"

"I think I can manage it."

House slipped his arm around her and they walked into the bedroom. Maia jumped on the bed and quickly removed her top, freeing her breasts to the delight of House. He climbed onto the bed. "Women have such an advantage. Show us your breasts and we're like deer in headlights. You could grab us by the ear and lead us anywhere."

Maia grabbed him by the ear, pulling him down on the bed. She slipped her hand down from his abdomen to the thicker patch of hair. Wrapping her hand around the base of his penis, she stroked slowly and deliberately until he was hard as granite. She squeezed him just slightly and then started an even stroke up his shaft, stopping to play just under the rim. She leaned into his should, nipping him as she continued to pump her hand up and down in a steady rhythm. She could hear the unevenness of his breathing. He'd stop and start whenever she stopped to play with the tip of his erection.

He kissed her, tasting the toothpaste. He wanted to enter her, but not just yet. He placed his palm under her breast, feeling the soft weight of the round flesh in his hand as he brushed her nipples, pinching them softly. She took her hand and traced his spine down to the curve of his back and down his butt. He could feel the goosebumps from the tickling sensation in the small of his back. He took her nipple in between his teeth and gently tickled it with his tongue and then twisted it.

Maia was rubbing her groin up again his erection and thigh, the softness of her pubic hair sending waves of throbbing through his organ. He continued to suck hard on her nipples as he reached down to find the folds between her legs. Her smooth body and soft, sensual musk was making it hard to stay focused. Her continued grinding against him was causing him to throb hard and strong.

His breath was labored, coming out in short gasps when she grabbed his shaft and pumped. It was becoming too much, "I'm going to come all over you and the bed if you don't back off."

"Where's the condom?"

House rolled over, grabbed a condom as she continued to pump him. He turned back while Maia dipped down and covered him with her mouth. Her lips massaging as her wet tongue sopped up the leakage of semen on the tip of his head.

House started to push her away, "No, I want to be inside you."

Maia pushed up and smiled, staring happily into his eyes. His desire to be connected with her when he came excited her even more. She grabbed the condom, dressed him and the quickly straddled him. She grabbed his shaft and wiggled around until he was pushing again her clit. She used him to play with herself until she could take no more.

House was enjoying the sight of her pleasuring herself. That along with her perky breasts, the hard pink nipples and soft abdomen sent jolts to his groin of electrical pleasure. He reached up, grabbing both of her breasts in his hands, squeezing the plump beauties as she continued to rub his tip against the slick warmth between her legs. House looked down again at what she was doing. He could feel the tingling pressure in his balls and knew he needed to get inside quickly. He could feel the entrance as she continued to rub, in one quick movement he penetrated her as deep as he could go. His shaft disappeared inside of her as Maia squealed in delight.

"Greg! Oh God, oh God, I'm coming."

He could feel the pulsing strength of her orgasm grip him over and over. The tightness in his balls released up through his shaft like a hose under pressure. His body was no longer his own, he was bucking uncontrollably as she bounced with each thrust. Her breath came out with short bursts, punctuating each squirt with a scream of pleasure. Her screams, the bouncing breasts, the bucking, all made him dizzy with pleasure. He could barely see, the feeling so overwhelming.

She fell on top of him, completely spent. The two held each other as they tried to ease their breathing. House started to move, but Maia pinned him down. She didn't want him to pull out. She wanted to stay connected.

"No, don't. I want you to stay inside, just a little longer." She squeezed her muscles around his slowly deflating penis.

He chuckled, the sensation sent a feeling like when you hit your funny bone. He kissed her face. She responded my hugging him tightly. Within a few minutes, nature took its course and she could no longer keep him inside. She rolled off to the side.

Maia looked up, staring into the air above her. _I'm happy. For the first time in years, I'm happy. I can't trust this feeling. I've felt and lost this before. The pain will outweigh this. I'll lose this again, I know I will. It will go bad and I'll be further down the hole._

Holding her in his arms, House felt her go rigid. He looked down and saw that 'far-away look' that told him she was thinking and they weren't happy thoughts. "Hey, stop making yourself miserable."

She tried to smile, "I've had so much crap happen in the last two years, I can't believe that I can be happy again. Can you understand that…why I mistrust these feelings?"

"Try five years and yes, I understand. What are you afraid of?"

She chortled, "You're joking, right? I'm afraid we'll really discover we hate each other. I'm afraid you'll grow tired of me and dump me. I'm afraid I'll grow tired of you. I'm afraid that this isn't real."

He tickled her gently, "Uh, grow tired? You're not going to grow tired of me, missy."

She laughed and playfully slapped his chest.

"God woman, you need to relax and just let go. Haven't you learned by now that you can't control everything?" He kissed the top of her head again, "Only I can do that."

They laughed together and then she slipped out of bed, into her panties, shorts and tank top. She went into the kitchen and yelled back to the bedroom, "I'm hungry, feed me Seymour!"

House grabbed his shorts and a t-shirt, put them on and then made his way out to the kitchen. He looked at her butt sticking out of the refrigerator as she moved things around on the shelves. He walked up and playfully put his hands on her butt, giving her a quick swat.

"You want me to feed you?" he rubbed her cheeks, "This is where your misery starts. I'm going to have to burst your bubble. I don't cook, especially not for women. I figure I make up for it in the bedroom."

She turned and looked up at him, smirking. "Just point me to where the cereal is."

He continued to rub her butt as she straightened up. "Nice ass."

"Cereal?"

He shook his head. "I ran out. There's bananas on the counter." He rubbed his head and sighed. "How about I take you out for breakfast?"

"It's Wednesday. Why aren't you at work?"

"I just called in, no patients, I'm okay."

"Okay, we'll go out for breakfast."

They hopped in the car and drove to one of House's favorite coffee shops. While sitting and reading the menus, Maia looked up and saw someone staring at them. It was a blonde guy with his mouth wide open.

Maia leaned into House, "Greg, do you know that guy?"

He didn't even bother to look up, "Yes, he's a surgeon at the hospital and one of my former Fellows. His name is Chase. In a second he'll be joined by the doctor who treated you in the emergency room, Cameron."

Maia watched as the doctor who treated her joined Chase. He nodded in their direction and the woman looked over with great curiosity. She almost ran across the restaurant, arriving at their booth and standing in awe.

"House? Ms. …I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name."

"Connelly. Dr. Cameron, right?"

She nodded. "I didn't know you were seeing each other."

"Does it shock your conscience? The fact that a woman might want to be with me just the way I am?"

She smiled, "House, I'm just shocked that you look so…content. I wanted to know if you wanted to join us at our table?"

"I prefer this booth. But if you two want to come over and join us, I guess we'll accommodate the happy couple."

Within minutes Cameron and Chase were opposite House and Maia. Chase was smiling and shaking his head. Cameron simply asked questions.

"What do you do for a living Maia?"

House grabbed Maia's hand and leaned forward, "She gives phone sex. Great phone sex."

Cameron's jaw dropped, "Really? How does that work?"

Maia was a little taken aback by her inference. "I put an ad in the paper with a photo of a beautiful coed, they call me through a 900 number. I charge by the minute. I pay a monthly fee to the telephone service and a percentage of my profits to the model to license the photo.

"And then you talk dirty to the men who call?" she asked, with a tone that sounded judgmental.

"That's usually what they pay me for, but sometimes they just want to talk." Maia turned and smiled up at House, indicating that House was one of those that liked to talk.

Cameron caught the smile, "House… you spend money just to talk to a woman?"

House sneered, "I'd pay to speak to Maia. I certainly wouldn't pay to just to speak to you. You'd have to do more to earn my money."

Cameron gave him a snarl.

Chase changed the subject, bringing up movies. Maia couldn't talk about any of the recent movies, but when the subject turned to older movies, Maia piped up. They sat and talked for an hour while eating their breakfast.

House squinted his eyes, "Why aren't you two at work?"

Chase put an arm around Cameron, "We're catching a plane this afternoon for the Virgin Islands, a week vacation."

Maia jerked and grinned, "Oh wow, you'll have to go to this restaurant and ask for Jaques. Tell him Maia sent you and he'll set you up. You'll love it. Great French food. "

Chase thanked Maia and, after paying the bill, they went their separate ways. Maia and House rode back to the apartment, turned on the tv and sat down on the couch. They had the obligatory talk about previous relationships, Maia finding out about Stacy and Maggie. House found out about Maia's string of twelve month relationships, "It was if they went out with the old calendar and in came someone new."

Maia laid her head in House's lap as he sat watching the television and petting her hair from time to time. After watching _Blade Runner, _House looked down at the sweet face, soundly asleep, in his lap. He remembered afternoons like this with Stacy and realized just how much he missed a quiet day passing mundanely with someone you enjoyed. As if his thoughts had stirred her, she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

"How long was I out?"

"An hour."

She sat up, "An hour? Wow, gosh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you.'

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's okay, Rutger Hower still dies in the end."

"Ah, bummer."

She stretched, "I need to get some more clothes from the bakery or I'm going to be smelling pretty ripe soon."

When they got to the bakery, House and Maia were holding hands as they walked to the back of the restaurant. Bear approached them and chuckled when he saw their demonstration of affection. "Hey Doc, you're holding hands with my girlfriend you know."

"Sorry Bear, but she's rather fickle, today is my turn. I think you get her back on Saturdays."

Bear looked down, "Maia, that detective, Smithers, stopped by. She asked that you call her, no emergency, she just wants to make sure you're alright."

"Thanks Bear."

They went upstairs and House sat on the futon while Maia packed a case full of things. While bent over, getting some things out of the bottom drawer, House couldn't help but admire Maia's nicely shaped ass. He walked over and put his hand s on the sides of her hips and rested his groin up against her.

She stopped what she was doing and chuckled. "Did you have something to tell me other than you've got a banana in your pocket?"

He pushed up against her, rubbing his rapidly engorging erection against her cheeks. Maia was still bent over and holding on to the open drawer to keep her balance. He lifted the skirt she had put on, slipped her panties down and felt her cheeks with the palms of his hand. He reached around and rubbed her clit generously. She had to admit she was getting turned on.

Maia heard the zip of his trousers and realized he was so turned on he was going take her, right there, right then. She didn't bother to say anything. He pushed her legs apart and found her wet and warm. Bending his knees slightly, House thrust up, penetrating her up to his balls. Maia gasped. She could feel him, unsheathed and pumping hard, fast. She was trying to hold onto the open drawer but the whole dresser was shaking from his thrusting. It wasn't long before he grunted, collapsed on her back and semen ran down her leg. House was bent over, a hand out supporting him against the chest of drawers as he withdrew. Maia began to straighten up.

She turned, "Well, I usually offer my guests something to eat or drink, but I guess that will have to do."

He positioned himself and zipped up. "It looked like an invitation to me."

"Yes, well, I'll have to watch out for that in the future. I don't know who wrote, "fuck me" on my back, but thanks for letting me know." She nodded to him, "Hand me a Kleenex."

He grabbed a few so that she could mop up her leg. The white creamy semen was more than she had expected, "You're rather productive aren't you?"

He winced, "Yeah, about that…maybe I should get you the morning after pill tomorrow?"

"Is this your idea of birth control? I get to take a pill and have a period each time we screw?"

"Well, why don't you go on the pill?"

She pulled up her panties, "Migranes. I get them occasionally. When I take the pill, I have them all the time."

He frowned. "Okay, I'll make sure I put on an overcoat before going down the tunnel."

"Deal."

He smiled devilishly at her and kissed her lips, "But it sure felt hot. You're so tight and warm. I'm hoping for a little action closer to your period so we can go commando again."

"Well, my period is a moving target when I'm under stress. And with people shooting at me, I'm a little stressed out; so don't expect my period to behave."

She went into the bathroom to clean up a little and gather some more toiletries. They grabbed sandwiches from downstairs and took them back to the apartment to eat for dinner. When the finally went to bed Maia rolled over and pulled on his chest hair.

She stared willfully into his eyes, "You know, you owe me an orgasm."

"Would you like it now?" he asked.

She thought for a second, "No, I'm too tired, maybe tomorrow. Are you going to give me a ride to work in the morning?"

He nodded, "But are you sure you should go in? What if they know where you work?"

"I have to make a living."

He squeezed her chin with his long fingers, "No you don't. At least not right now. Bear will understand. You can stay here and I'll make sure you have pocket money." He made it sound like he was doing her a favor, but she could tell he really just wanted her to be there when he got home.

"I've never been a kept woman." She reached up and found his lips, kissing him softly, "And I'm not starting now. I can take care of myself."

"May I point out that for the last few years you haven't been doing a very good job?"

She snickered, "Hey, you're how old? Fiftyish, no girlfriend, no family photos, you've been popping Vicodin and you've got a bum leg. Now _kettle_ are you calling me black?"

His voice sounded sarcastic, "Okay, I'll give you a ride in the morning, now go to sleep."

She woke him at 4:30 am. His body hardly moved as she buzzed around putting clothes on her showered body. She looked down at him, saw his eyes were still closed so started pushing on his arm.

Maia was annoyed, "Come on Greg, you need to get up. I have to be to work by five thirty. Just slip on some pants and let's go!"

He moaned and lifted his head a few inches. "Take the car. The keys are on my desk."

She tilted her head, "Don't you need it?"

He turned his head away from the bathroom light, "I'll take the motorcycle."

"Motorcycle?"

"Uh, huh. Oh, the keys to the apartment are on the ring. Now let me get my beauty-sleep or Wilson won't buy me lunch."

She felt strange taking his car after one day of them hooking up. But, it didn't seem like he cared. She had to admit she didn't understand why a doctor lived like he did. _He has to be taking down 15-20 grand a month and he rents an apartment, drives a beat up car and watches an old television. Is he frugal or lazy? Or is he broke from other habits…like calling me?_

She worked her shift and was pleased to report to House, who called her at his apartment around 4:00 pm, that nothing had happened. She was sitting down, reading the newspaper, her tired, bare feet balanced on the edge of the ottoman, when the phone rang. It was House calling her for the third time.

Maia twisted in her seat to get comfortable, "If you go to the grocery store on the way home, I'll fix dinner."

He thought about it, "Too much trouble. I'll pick something up on the way home. Tomorrow you can go grocery shopping."

She smiled, "Oh, I can, can I? What about you?"

"You fly, I buy. Simple. I like spicy foods to go with my spicy, exotic women."

"Exotic?"

"Yeah, I thought I was buying exotic if you remember. I bought the tanned and leggy Cali. I got the freckled albino with the snow problem. I can't help it if the goods are different from what was advertised."

She smiled, "Would you like a refund?"

"No, but I'll take some free accessories."

"Sorry, the warranty is good for thirty days. You can exchange me for a full refund, minus shipping and handling. After thirty days you accept me and the sex as they are."

"Then I better get a lot of use out of you over the next thirty days to see if I want to keep you."

"You're not satisfied so far?"

"Yeah, but this is the teaser period when I get excited just having a naked woman within one hundred yards of my bed. Talking about periods, did you get my message?"

"Yes, I picked up the pills during my break and took the first one. I'll take the second one before I go to bed. This is the last time I do this. I have a diaphragm, you have condoms. You just need to make sure you have one with you at all times."

"Yes, dear. I'll be home around six, unless the patient takes a nose dive. Bye."

"Bye."


	23. Chapter 10 Pins and Needles

**Dear Readers****, As**** you know, I leave in the morning for a week in the Midwest to attend a film festival. I'm very excited because I am going to this film festival with my sister and two readers who I met through writing House fanfic. I have already met six readers and now I get to meet two more. It's always fun to meet readers and talk "House.". This chapter will be all you willl receive for Wednesday and possibly Thursday. I'll try to post on Thursday, but can't promise. Take care! Gorblimey2**

**Chapter 10**

**Pins and Needles**

She put down the phone and tilted her head back against the chair. _He's a strange man. I feel like I have an onion and I'm just peeling back the layers. For some reason, I don't think I've gotten very far. Should I snoop? He did._

She went back to the bedroom and opened some drawers, looked under the bed and finally hit pay dirt in the closet. He had a box of photos that had just been thrown in and a couple of photo albums. The albums had been made by a woman. She could tell from all the trimmings around the photos. Someone had been into scrapbooking. The photos were of House when he was young up until his graduation from college or maybe med school.

The family didn't look unusual. House was in most of the photos and, as a little boy he was smiling in several of them. As he got older, less of the photos showed him smiling. However, whenever his mother was in the picture, House had his arm around her or she was holding his hand. It was clear that he had an affectionate relationship with his mother. He seemed grim in most of his photos with his Dad, but not in all of them. There were several sailing photos that showed both he and his Dad with big grins. Maia couldn't see any real resemblance between House and his parents, he was more a mixture of both.

Maia looked through the box and found dozens of photos of House with a woman, a tall, lanky, brunette. She reminded Maia of Jennifer. There were photos of him and this woman in the apartment, including photos of Christmas trees with presents under them. They looked happy; he looked happy. She realized that this must be Stacy. The story the photos told made Maia feel inadequate, not up to the task of making House happy.

She put the photos away and decided to clean. She needed something to do and cleaning always helped. She took everything out of his bathroom cupboards and started organizing and cleaning. She found 3 full and 19 partial vials of Vicodin and oxycontin. She sat on the toilet lid staring at the vials all lined up. Her insides were churning. There was no doubt, he was an addict.

_Is the pain that bad? Or is he now just hooked on the feeling. I've seen him take four, maybe five since we've been together. Is that too much? Did he take some when I wasn't looking? _Maia knew several people at her NA meetings that were addicted to painkillers. She'd have to talk to them.

Maia continued to clean the bathroom, grabbing the vials and placing them all in a plastic bag. She wasn't sure what to do with them so she stuck them on the top shelf, in the back of the linen closet.

When House came home, Maia was reserved, worried about him, worried about being around another addict. House immediately noticed her subdued mood. He helped her dish out the food, sitting at the table to eat it. She perked up a little, talking about the café's customers. When they were done, they cleared the table and stacked the dishes in the dishwasher.

Maia brushed her teeth and started to get ready to go.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"NA meeting. You can come if you want."

He gave her a sideways glance that indicated he wasn't keen to go. "Why are you going now?' he asked suspiciously.

"I'm going now because I missed it yesterday afternoon when I had planned to go."

He narrowed his eyes, "Something's different. You're quiet and now you have an urge to go to an NA meeting. What's up?"

She put her purse down again and looked at him, "I found 22 bottles of Vicodin. Greg, maybe you should tell me what's going on?"

"I'm an addict, I never said I wasn't."

"You never said you were. I don't know if it's a good idea for me to be in a relationship with another addict. Why didn't you tell me?"

He frowned, "I'm not that kind of addict. It's not like I use it to get high. My thigh hurts, it hurts like hell. I can't function without the pain killers."

She shook her head, "You're taking it indiscriminately. You may have started out taking it for your leg pain, but now it's out of control. I need to talk to my sponsor. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"You have to have your temperature taken to find out if you should date me?"

"I want to know why I'm attracted to you, an addict."

He shook his head, "Have I pushed my drugs on you? Have I tried to get you to backslide? You didn't even know about my problem until today."

"Greg, _I don't know_. I'm telling you that I just don't know. Can I borrow your car?"

"So you can go off to have someone tell you not to come back? _No!"_

"Greg, don't be like that. I promise to come back…even if it's just to drop off your car." She smiled mischievously.

House looked down at his feet, sober and obviously upset, "I just don't want you to…" His pain turned to anger, "Damn it, take the car. Fine."

Maia wasn't sure how to handle this outburst of fear followed by anger. She wanted to hit him and tell him not to be such an idiot. But she quickly realized that he needed reassurance. She surprised him by grabbing and hugging him. She reached up, grabbed his face and pulled him down to kiss her. He didn't return it at first, but she didn't give up. She kissed him again and this time he wrapped his arms around her and kissed back.

"I'll be home in a couple of hours. Okay?"

He was sullen, but he nodded. Opening the door, she looked back over her shoulder and gave him a warm, loving smile.

Maia usually went to the late afternoon meetings, but because she had spent the day with House, had missed her usual one. She was surprised by the number of people who were present and wanted to share. She didn't feel a need to share that night, but did want to talk to her sponsor who said he would be attending the meeting so that they could talk. She saw the rather tired looking Jamie in the back of the room. After the meeting, she said goodbye to a few and then joined Jamie. They sat on the bench in the empty hall.

"You can't really think this is a smart move?" Jamie asked.

"I haven't had any happiness in over four years. He's funny, brutally honest and great in bed. I don't feel like the world is coming to an end when I'm with him."

"But Maia, _he's an addict_ and he's not getting treatment for it. He's in denial."

Maia breathed deeply, "I don't think he's in denial. He told me he was an addict. He just said that he was in pain. His leg causes a lot of pain."

"Well, maybe you could talk him into seeing a pain specialist. But, until he does, you ought to limit your contact."

Maia was disappointed, not sure what she should do. She wanted to be with House despite the warnings. But she had ignored advice before and lost everything. These issues were swimming, competing in her head, as she walked to the car in the almost empty parking lot. She took out the keys and was opening the door when she felt something in her side.

"Maia, Maia, Maia…you are one hard woman to kill." The voice got closer to her ear, "That's a gun in your side in case you were wondering. You missed your meeting yesterday, tsk, tsk, tsk. We've been waiting for you to show up. Tony and I were about to give up. Then we saw you sitting inside tonight and, well, here we are."

Maia's heart started beating. She looked around the parking lot. It was dark with a few parking lot lights illuminating the area, including one about four spaces from her. But it was mostly empty with only a few cars dispersed throughout the area. There was no one around. Maia knew she was dead.

"See my friend?" He asked as he relieved her of her keys and threw them to another man in a dark trench coat and scarf covering most of his face.

Maia watched as another man opened the passenger door and sat down inside. He looked up through the driver's side window and nodded to the man holding the gun on her.

"Yes. I seem him."

"I want you to get in and do what he says. This can go two ways. You can either go with blood and brains spattered all over the car, or you can go out feeling good. It's up to you."

Maia climbed in behind the wheel and waited. The man had latex gloves on. He prepared a needle full of something as Maia watched. He looked at the needle, holding it up to the parking lot light. He nodded to the man with the gun.

Maia was shaking, "Please don't do this…please. What did I do? What did I do to cause this?"

The man with the gun shrugged, "We were told to kill you. We've tried infecting you, then we tried shooting at you – but that got us into a lot of trouble. Our boss wants this done quietly. So now, he wants it to look like you did it to yourself. That's a needle full of 90 pure cocaine, guaranteed to take you out, but before you go, you'll feel really good."

The man took her arm, but she pulled it away. There was a click of the gun. Maia's shoulders slumped in defeat. The man took her arm again and found her vein. He stabbed her vein and pushed the plunger. Maia felt it within seconds. Her heart started beating wildly, her breathing escalated. The man jumped out of the car and started walking to the sedan several lanes over. The one with the gun stood for a few more seconds, sadistically watching her body react to the drug. He locked the driver side door and closed it. Maia looked up at him, her head flopping back, blood coming out of her nose.

_Why? Why now Lord? I had just begun to hope again._

House couldn't stand it. He wanted to know what her sponsor was telling her. Within minutes of her leaving he was on the internet. He found out that there were two meetings that night and unfortunately, he picked the wrong one to go to first. After scouting for his car and not seeing it, House got off his motorcycle and checked inside. When he didn't find her, he went back out and rode his motorcycle to across town to the other meeting. He found the address. He immediately spotted car,pulling into the parking lot of the Salvation Army auditorium. As he parked the motorcycle a space away, he could see she was in the front seat. He got off and walked over to talk to her.

Maia was sitting in the driver's seat, the back of her head resting against the window, but she was acting strange; her head was bobbing up and down at a rapid pace. House shook his head. _What is she doing? _ Knocking on the window, House yelled, "Maia, open the window."

There was no response. He tried the door, but it was locked. He kept knocking on the window as she just sat there, her hair the only thing visible from his angle. Finally, he walked to the front of the car and looked in. He could see blood coming from her nose, her stare fixed ahead and her chest and head heaving. He ran to the passenger side and found it unlocked. He got in and saw the needle sticking in her arm. Pulling it out, House held her head up under the overhead light to examine her. Her pupils were dialated, her breath rapid, her nose bleeding. She was hyperventilating and shaking. She felt warm to the touch. After unlocking the driver's side, he pulled her over to the passenger side. Getting into the driver's side, he pealed out into traffic, racing to the hospital.

House fumbled with his cell phone.

"Princeton-Plainsboro."

"This is Dr. House, give me the Emergency Room."

He was connected to the charge nurse. "I'm bringing in a white female, 37, overdosing on cocaine. Have diazepam and nitroglycerin ready at the door. Bring an epi just in case. I'll meet you at the emergency bay."

He received an acknowledgement and in less than three minutes he was pulling into the back bay to the Emergency Room. House grabbed the diazepam needle out of the nurse's hand and shot it into Maia's arm. House watched as the Emergency team took over and rushed Maia into the emergency ward.

House followed her into the emergency ward and watched as they hooked her up to monitors. Her blood pressure and heart rate were starting to come down as result of the diazepam. House went inside with her. Staring down at her, he realized how angry he was at her for screwing up again. _Am I always going to have to rescue her? What if I hadn't decided to spy on her? _ It made him feel out of control and that scared him.

House was assured by the doctors that she was going to make it, he had gotten to her on time. But she had come very close to dying. The overdose was reported to the police and they showed up an hour later. Sleeping in a chair in the corner, House looked up to see Smithers lurking outside of Maia's room

"Dr. House, why did she go off the wagon?"

"Once an addict, always an addict." He said as he stared through the window at Maia in her bed, "I don't know. Things were, well, they were going better for her. She was going to speak to her sponsor last night at the meeting. I guess we'll just have to ask her when she comes out of it."

But House wasn't sure why, it didn't make sense. Curiosity got the better of him and he went through her purse, finding her address book. Looking through, he finally found a number that she had marked as "sponsor." He called the number from her hospital room.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jamie Lewis?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm Dr. House, Maia's friend. She's in the hospital…apparently you're crap at being a sponsor; she shot up in the parking lot after talking to you and overdosed."

"Wha…_what?__ That's impossible!"_

"I found her in the parking lot with a needle stuck in her arm."

"_But Maia doesn't shoot up_. She's a snorter. She told me that she could never give herself a shot. Has to look away when someone takes blood or uses a needle on her. Besides, she was happy tonight. She'd met someone and said that she hadn't been that happy in years."

"Really? Did she say anything else?"

"Well, she did say he was an addict and wanted my advice. I told her it wasn't a good idea to get involved with an addict who hadn't been to rehab."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing, but I don't think I convinced her. I think she's in love with this guy."

"Hmmm, interesting."

"Which hospital is she in?"

"Princeton-Plainsboro."

"Thanks, I'll come down and visit."

House started thinking about it and realized that it didn't make sense. He called Smithers.

"I don't think she did this. I think it was another attempt on her life."

"Are you sure? What makes you think that?"

He told Smithers what he had discussed with her sponsor.

"Well, let's wait until she wakes up and I'll come back down."

House went back in, bent over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

He went home and got some sleep. Around 8:30 am he went back to her room. She was dressed and sitting up on the side of the bed, staring out the window. House came through the door and she looked over her shoulder.

"I'm alive?" she joked.

House raised his eyebrows, "It would appear. You came close to being buried in a pauper's grave."

"Cremated. I want to be cremated."

House chuckled and nodded, "I'll remember that. Now, tell me what happened."

She closed her eyes and then opened them again, "Two men forced me into my car, one shot me up. They knew my name, knew I went to NA there and said I was hard to kill. Greg someone wants me dead."

"Did you find out why?"

She shook her head, "I asked, but they just referred to someone who wanted me dead."

"Well, considering they've tried three times to take you out, they're going to do it fast and quick the next time."

"They're going to let me out in a few hours. I'm going back to the bakery. Can you bring me my things?"

"You can't go back to the bakery, they'll find you there."

"I can't stay with you. I can't let them hurt you."

He shook his head violently, "You moron, they're less likely to find you if you stay with me."

"I can't take that chance."

He took a deep breath and sat down next to her, "I can't let you go back. You're coming back with me. We're going to make love on the piano stool and then eat until we're too full to do anything but sleep in front of the television."

She started laughing, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"What I want is for you to find a girl for a threesome. But in the meantime, I want you to come home with me."

"If something happens, I don't want you being a hero, okay?"

"I'm no hero, never have been a hero, never will be a hero."

Maia went home with House to his apartment after giving a statement to the police. She seemed frail to him and so he let her sleep. Later that evening he crawled into bed next to her and kissed the back of her head. She turned over and held him, kissing his forehead, then his eyes and then his lips.

Pulling back she stroked his beard, "You have amazing eyes."

"You've got great breasts. Could you take that top off so I can look at them?"

She nodded and removed her top. House reached out for them, touching them as if they were alabaster porcelain. He wanted to make love to her, but first he just wanted to hold her naked body next to him.

"Take off your bottoms."

She did. He pulled her up, partially onto him so he could feel her soft curves and warm skin. He inhaled her, holding her tightly.

Maia felt something different in the way he was holding her. She felt an urgency, a need to be close, as if he wanted them to be one. It wasn't sexual; it was an emotional need. She returned the embrace with the same desire, the same gentleness. She felt afraid and loved and needed all at the same time. She didn't know what to say to him; what did he need to hear?

After ten or more minutes he finally moved, letting her slip down to his side. He spoke to her in hush tones, "Maia, I wish I could make you happy. I don't seem to be able to sustain happiness for very long. I don't seem to be able to tolerate happiness."

"Greg, it's not your job to make me happy. Just being here though, it makes me feel good. It makes me feel appreciated. I haven't felt appreciated in years. I had forgotten that I'm intrinsically a good person. Being with you makes me remember who I am. I wish you could find the same thing -- find the Greg you lost somewhere along the way -- the Greg who smiled when he was a boy. The Greg who knew joy when he was in love."

"I want that. But, I don't know if he's still in here. I've had so many years of beating the crap out of him."

She rubbed his chest and the curly gray hair covering it. Reaching up, she touched the stubble on his cheek. He closed his eyes at the feel of her touch and smiled. Maia dragged her hand down his body to the trail of hair between his navel and his penis. Running her fingers up and down the little trail of hair, she saw things begin to move. She dragged her fingers further down, rubbing and stroking, until he was at a full salute.

Maia cupped his balls in her hand and leaned down to take one of them in her mouth. House leaned his head back on the pillow and let the pleasurable sensations pass through from his groin to his brain. She licked and sucked until he was hard and ready. Maia then grabbed a condom from the side drawer and dressed him.

House stood up and pulled her to the edge of the bed, spreading her legs as he did. He wasted no time, entering her, holding her legs like a wheel barrel. Maia could do little to help pump him except to contract and release her muscles surrounding his shaft.

He nodded, "Yeah, that's good. That's good. Oh, God, yeah. I can feel you, you're so tight." He continued to thrust, his body slapping into her as he did.

She grabbed her breasts and started to play with them, fondling them, pinching her nipples and pushing them together. House watched until the electricity in his balls shot through his erection and back to his spine. His muscles tightened as he ejaculated several times, grunting as he came. It was over. He let out a chuckle, pulled out and started to play with her wet clitoris. Shoving two fingers into her, he manipulated her clit with his free thumb. She concentrated on what he was doing, finding her body tightening and her nipples tingling. Then he kneeled on the floor and took his tongue, circled her clit, sucking it gently. It was already engorged from all the attention and it didn't take long before she was squirming, pushing into his tongue, angling her body for maximum pleasure.

Maia swallowed hard when she felt the pressure building. Little spurts of the coming orgasm surfaced from time to time, causing her to catch her breath and moan. When the waves overtook her, she pushed further into his tongue and curled up to look at what he was doing.

He saw her body flush and her thighs tighten. Maia's body jerked as her shoulders lifted up. The grimace on her face told him that she was coming and coming fast. Her screams were audible all over the apartment, causing House to raise his eyebrows. After several waves of pleasure, she slapped her thighs together and pulled back.

House climbed up on the bed next to her and blew in her ears. She shivered and turned to him. "You're cruel, that tickles. You know how sensitive my skin is after sex, now stop that!"

He kissed her and played with her hair. After a few minutes they got up and went to take a shower. Maia got out, went into the kitchen and realized there was nothing in it to cook. House followed her and saw her sitting in her bra and panties on the stool drinking from a bottle of water.

"We still didn't make it to the grocery store."

"Are you up for dinner out?" he asked.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

He bowed at the waist, "Well, then let's take you to Bella Luna for dinner."

"I've never been there, but I am up for it. I love Italian."

Maia pulled on a denim skirt and a halter top. After she slipped into her sandals, she went over and helped House button his shirt by making sure he received a kiss after every button. They got into the car and drove down to the neighborhood where the restaurant was located. Inside Maia hung onto House's free arm as they walked to the table. They sat down next to each other in the u shaped booth. She put her hand on his thigh and he put his arm around her. It was if they couldn't stop touching each other. The human contact they had both been craving seeped through them like a warm bath.

House teased Maia about her voracious appetite and Maia pretended to be offended. But they ended up laughing and kissing, causing the waitress ask if they were newlyweds.

House dropped his mouth, "How did you know? We were married last weekend!"

She chuckled, "You two can't keep your hands off of each other and you're laughing an awful lot."

"I can't help it, she won't sleep with me unless I laugh at all of her jokes. I laugh a lot…she's that good…in bed that is." He shrugged, "Lousy at everything else, but you can always hire a maid and eat out, right?"

The waitress was dumbfounded. Her eyebrows were raised and mouth wide open.

Maia chuckled, "Oh, don't worry; I don't take umbrage. He's right, I'm not much good except for a good screw. But then, neither is he. I mean look, he can't walk fast, run, ski, hike…but he sure knows how to use that tongue." Maia paused as the waitress blushed, "He can say, "I love you" in seven different languages!"

House kissed her neck, "Nohiboka" He kissed her other shoulder, "Jeg elsker dig!" He kissed her hand, "Ich liebe dich! "

The waitress left as House and Maia snickered.

"My tongue?"

"Yes, you have a very talented tongue." She smiled.

He licked her earlobe, "Ti amo."

She reached up and kissed his lips, "The waitress is gone, you don't have to say that."

"I'm not doing it for the waitress. I'm only doing it to get into your pants."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

House winced as she pulled back and straightened her hair.

He realized he should never had said 'I love you,' even in jest, "Maia, don't you think it's a little early for me to be saying it for real?"

She gave him a brave smile, "Yes, of course. It's way too early."

He felt her stiffen and wished he hadn't said it was too early. _Is it really too early? I don't want her to pull back, go away. I should just tell her. What would it hurt? Would she say it back? I wonder if she would say it __back?_

"Maia." He said reaching out and grabbing her elbow, "I—"

"—You two come back now and congratulations." The waitress put the bill down in front of them.

Maia looked at House's hand on her elbow, "I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll meet you up front." She scooted out of the booth and took off towards the bathroom. House paid the bill and decided that it could wait until they got home. He'd find a way to get her to say it first.

She smiled as she walked up to him at the front door, looking like the leading lady of a Walt Disney movie. He smiled back. They walked out to the sidewalk outside of the restaurant. A car pulled up and a man in a cap jumped out of the back. He walked directly in front of Maia and House. He had his hand suspiciously in the pocket of his suit jacket.

"Maia Connelly?"

She said nothing, but House responded, "Who wants to know?"

"Ms. Connelly, you're going to be our guest. Let's go for a ride."

She looked at the tall man with the strong chin, broad shoulders, thin waist, "I don't think so."

He smiled and nodded, pretending to have a pleasant conversation with Maia and House. "I think so. If you don't get in the back seat, then your boyfriend is getting a bullet through his left knee. He won't be walking at all."

Maia instinctively moved in front of House to protect his legs. She put her arm behind her back and waved for House to run, but he didn't move. She stepped back and pushed him to run. He realized he could do more by getting help than staying around getting killed. He took off down the sidewalk. The man tried to get around her with his gun, but she blocked him. He fired, the bullet zinging past House and striking the brick wall near him. The man aimed again, but jerked as Maia jumped up in front of him, her arm knocking the gun, which went off in his hand. Maia didn't feel anything at first except the force of it knocking her back. She fell, sprawled, her head bouncing on the concrete. She could see the clear night sky above her as it faded to black.

"Get up, get up." The man sneered, "Fine, do this the hard way." He reached down to pull her into the car.

House had ducked into the alley just two doors down from the restaurant and pulled out his phone to call for help. He heard the pop, the same sound Moriarty's gun had made in his office. There was a scream and another pop. He heard a loud report of a shotgun and then there were more screams. He edged his way along the building and looked around the corner to the street. The car was gone, but there were two bodies on the sidewalk, one was the man with the gun, the other was Maia. House saw a man in a t-shirt and apron with a shotgun walk up to the bodies. House hobbled over and looked down at Maia. He wasn't sure if she was alive. He could tell the man was dead, he only had half a head.

House knelt down and felt for her pulse. It was elevated and thready, not a good sign. She had a bullet hole near her spleen. He unzipped and pulled her skirt down so he could see the wound. It was half an inch wide, but not really bleeding. It was the exit wound he was worried about. When he picked her up to turn her over to look at the wound, he heard a moan from her and gasps from the people standing around them. She had been laying in a pool of blood which was pouring out of her back. The exit wound was more substantial, probably an inch in diameter.

He could hear sirens on their way. He took a handkerchief and pushed it up in the hole from where she was bleeding; holding it with his hand to keep pressure on it. The police jumped out and held a gun on House.

"I'm unarmed, I'm a doctor." He yelled and then continued to monitor her as the paramedics pulled up. They took over and House watched as Maia disappeared into the back of the ambulance. House jumped in the back, "I'm coming with you. Take her to Princeton-Plainsboro."

The paramedics called in vitals and received instructions along with the instructions that House was giving them. They strung up Ringers and gave her platelets. When they arrived it was Cameron that took Maia into emergency.

"House, what happened?"

"Bullet wound near the spleen. She's bleeding into the abdominal cavity."

"I'll call surgery."


	24. Chapter 11 Billy Idol Lives

**Chapter 11**

**Billy Idol Lives**

Maia was already in surgery when Smithers showed up. She found House in his office laying back in the chair. She thought he looked extremely tired and worried even though she found House handsome with a bad boy attitude, something she loved in a man. What he saw in Maia she wasn't sure, but she thought Maia was a lucky woman.

"Dr. House?"

House looked up at the pretty brunette, wondering if she knew just how pretty she was. "Wow, the Calvary to the rescue. A little late don't you think? When were you going to take her seriously? You should ask Tritter to take this case, at least he's tenacious."

She pulled up a chair, "Look, it's hard to convince my bosses that a famous cocaine shooting attorney who gives lectures in her underwear was forcibly given cocaine as a part of some diabolical plot to kill her. But, you have our attention now; we believe you. What happened this evening?"

He spent the next twenty minutes telling her what happened. Then he asked his own question, "Who is the dead man?"

"He's one of Paul Giovanni's soldiers, part of the Torino family. We need to know why the mob is after Maia?"

House sat up and looked at her, chuckling, "The mob? The mob has been trying to kill her?"

"Well, if Paul Giovanni wanted her dead, they would have shot her right there. They wouldn't have even gotten out of the car. We need to know why he wanted to meet with her. According to the crowd, they weren't trying to hurt her when she was shot. She took the bullet when they shot at you."

House stared with conviction, "I ran."

She could see that he felt guilty, upset. "I know. But like you said, she told you not to be a hero. You did what she told you to do and she was right. Your phone call got the ambulance there in record time. It gave her a better chance to live."

He chuckled, "Don't patronize me. I know what I did. I saved my own ass and let her swing in the wind." He shook his head and snickered, "I had decided that I was going to let her know how I feel about her when we got home."

Smithers could see that he was angry with himself, "You still can."

He stared at her, his blue eyes searching hers, "But do I? I mean, how many people love someone and let them face a bullet?"

"Someone who'd been shot before. We do strange things Dr. House. In this case, rather than be a statistic, you went to get help. There wasn't much you could do up against a gun. Running to get help was the intelligent thing to do."

"Yeah? But how do I face her when she wakes up? _If she wakes up?_"

"How is she doing?"

"The surgeon didn't look too happy. But then he rarely looks happy around me, I fired him last year."

She stood up. "We have someone ready to guard her. We'll be back to interview her if she wakes up. The FBI is sending someone in."

"FBI?"

Smithers shrugged her shoulders in defeat, "Mob."

House nodded. "Christ, I think she ought to just move into the hospital, she's spent enough time here."

"Yeah, but as you know, she's not safe here either. I feel bad, if my boss had believed both of you earlier, this might not have happened. I'll be in touch."

House watched the news and the interview of the bartender who shot Giovanni's soldier.

_"A man came into the bar and said that someone was trying to kidnap a woman outside. I didn't even think; I was __special forces__ in the first Gulf War. I grabbed my gun and went outside. There was a man with her who had gotten free and was getting away. The guy with the gun took aim and shot at him. The woman jumped in front of the gun. The second shot hit her. She dropped and I could see he was going to shoot her again, so I shot him. __Dead."_

House turned it off just in time to see Wilson walk into the office.

"Are you okay?"

House frowned and nodded, "Yeah."

Wilson furred his brow, "The mafia? What is she doing mixed up with the mafia?"

House stared into space, sat up and leaned forward, "I don't know, but maybe there's someone who does." Walking to his desk, he started searching the internet. Once he found what he needed, he dialed as Wilson watched. The phone rang and House heard someone pick up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Cole, this is Dr. House. I came out to your house with Maia."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure you've heard that Maia was shot."

"Yes, how is she?" Michael asked.

"Holding on so far. I need to know if there were any cases Maia handled that you think involved the mafia?"

"She was pretty fearless when it came to prosecuting cases, but I don't remember taking on any Mafiosa or mafia interests."

House was surprised. "What about before you joined the firm?"

"Nah, she would have said something. Besides, we're talking a case that would be older than six years. Why would someone wait that long?"

"Maybe they were in prison?" House suggested.

"The mafia wouldn't wait. They have enough people on the outside to take out their revenge right away."

House had to agree. "Well, if you think of anything, please call me."

Cole snickered, "Dr. House, the FBI was here just an hour ago. If I remember anything, I'll be calling them. But, take good care of her. She really is a good person inside. Tell her I hope she gets well soon."

House rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well good bye." He sat back, turning to look at Wilson, "Apparently, she wasn't involved with any cases involving the Mafia."

Wilson shook his head, "Then why are they interested in killing her?"

"I don't know. At first they wanted to kill her, now they want to kidnap her. Something happened between yesterday and today."

"Maybe not. Maybe they wanted to kill the two of you after taking you somewhere secluded."

"They had a chance to drive by and kill us without kidnapping us, but they didn't. The only reason he shot at me was that I was expendable and had seen his face. They wanted Maia to believe that they were serious. He wanted to keep me to keep control over Maia. Maia has something they want."

Wilson shook his head and scowled, "But, if she has it now, she had it when they were trying to kill her. It doesn't make sense."

House rubbed his head and stared off, trying to figure out the puzzle. He stood up and went to the white board. He wrote, 'Maia', Pears, shots, cocaine. Kidnap. Mob. Sex talk. Lawyer. Waitress. Broke.

Wilson wrinkled his nose, "Sex talk?"

"Maia is Cali. The woman who I used to phone for sex talk."

Wilson's eyebrows went up, "You're dating the woman who speaks dirty on the phone to men?"

"Yeah. She's good."

"Don't you find that…odd?"

"I found it to be a lot of things, but not odd."

House kept staring. "There's a piece of the history that we don't have."

* * *

"_Greg! Greg! Greg!" _Maia started flailing and screaming. The intensive care nurse came running.

She held Maia's arms down, "Calm down, calm down, you'll rip out your stitches. Be careful."

"_Greg, where's Greg? __Where?"_ Maia was inconsolable.

"Do you mean Dr. House?"

She nodded, "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Not a scratch. Calm down." The nurse checked her vitals, the IVs and then left to call Chase.

Chase looked through the glass, but didn't see House in his office. He went down to the cafeteria and searched for him. He found him seated with Wilson eating what looked like a steak sandwich. Chase stood, arms crossed, "House, she's awake and asking for you."

House studied Chase and kept on chewing.

Chase was annoyed, raising his voice, "House, she needs to see you. She's been agitated, worried about you. We tell her you're okay, then sedate her and she calms down, but when she comes back up, shegets nervous again, starts asking for you."

House nodded, acknowledging that he heard, but kept eating.

"I don't get it. She took a bullet for you and you're more interested in the sandwich than her health."

"If she's able to ask for me, she must be doing better. I heard you."

Turning abruptly and exiting at a fast clip, Chase went back up to his patient. She was awake and frightened.

Maia's hair was matted, lips chapped, circles around her eyes, "You keep telling me that he's okay, but I don't see him. You're lying to me."

"I'm not lying. He's well and eating a sandwich in the cafeteria."

"No, I'm not. I'm right here."

Chase turned and saw House leaning on his cane and smiling devilishly.

Maia tried to sit up, but Chase held her down. "Maia, you need to stay flat for right now. _Stay horizontal_."

House walked over and leaned down. He pushed her hair back and kissed her on the lips very softly. "You didn't have to jump in front of the bullet."

"I didn't mean to, I just thought I could stop him from taking another shot at you. What happened?"

"A bartender with a big shotgun intervened. He killed the guy."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Why? Why me?"

"I don't know, but I need to ask you some questions. The guy who shot you was mafiosa. Can you tell me if you've had any connection to the Mafia at all? Cases, sex talk, waitress?"

"I don't think so. I don't remember anything connected with the mob, except drugs. I'm sure my dealer was Italian."

"Did you stiff him? Not pay your debt?"

"No, I always made sure he got paid, that's how I got into trouble."

"Well, keep thinking."

House sat down in the chair next to the bed. He grabbed the remote control and turned on the television, surfing through the channels while Maia watched. Reading her vitals, he adjusted her saline intake.

"Greg, wait. I want to watch the news. Is there any news about what happened?"

"Lots, but nothing new."

Maia looked up and saw Smithers walk through the door looking glum. Maia tried to raise up, but House pushed her shoulder back down. Maia turned her head to look at House and smiled sheepishly, remembering Chase's admonition.

House growled, "Jesus Christ, Maia, don't you know when to stay down?"

"Good afternoon Ms. Connelly. We have a few questions. First, how are you?" Smithers turned to House for a response.

"She'll pull through unless you guys screw up again and they get in here."

Smithers smiled at Maia, "That isn't going to happen. We have two men on guard inside the hospital and one man on each entrance." She paused and took out a tape recorder, sat it on the tray and turned it on. "Ms. Connelly, can you tell us what happened?"

Maia looked at House who said nothing, but stared straight ahead. She told her all she could remember before blanking out.

"Maia, did you ever represent or have a case against someone in the mafia or connected to the mafia?"

She shook her head. "The closest I ever got was my case against the 186, but they aren't Mafia, are they?"

Smithers shook her head. "If it helps, we've ruled out Michael Cole as having anything to do with this. He didn't send you the pears."

"I already knew that. Mike's an upright guy." Maia's eyes followed Smithers as she packed her stuff to leave.

"Well, thanks for your time Ms. Connelly. The FBI will be by tomorrow to talk to you. Oh, by the way, you were friends with Phil Otterlie, right?"

Maia nodded, "Phil more or less lived with me most of last year. We broke up six months ago. Why?"

Smithers gave Maia a look of understanding. Well, he and his pregnant girlfriend were found murdered in their bed this morning." Smithers watched Maia wince and start to cry, "Their house had been ransacked. Any idea why?"

Maia reached her hand out to House who didn't take it at first, but saw such sorrow in her eyes he couldn't help but console her. He took her hand and squeezed it. "For God's sake Maia, this is the guy who dumped you on Christmas and took all your possessions."

"He also loaned me money to rent my apartment, found odd jobs to feed me and got me through my withdrawal from coke. He did a lot for me."

Smithers walked back over, "Maia, I didn't realize you and Phil were close. This means that there's probably a connection."

"So whoever is doing this to me, did it to Phil?" '

House smiled, "They didn't like him taking their microwave."

Maia started crying. "So, whatever I did or know got Phil killed?"

"Maybe, we'll have to look at it a little closer." Quietly crossing the room to the sliding doors, Smithers nodded to House and left.

House tried to ignore the whimpering Maia, but couldn't. He couldn't stand that she was crying for the asshole that had gotten her pregnant, left her and took the pillow. He got up and went over to her.

House looked down at her and yelled, "_Stop crying over that jerk."_

Maia gasped air and looked horrified, "How can you be so mean?"

"_Mean? That guy knocked you up and dumped you on the day you had a miscarriage. Get a grip!"_

She burst out sobbing. House shook his head and watched as her blood pressure began to rise and her wound started seeping blood. He looked around, leaned down and kissed her. She hit him on his shoulders and back, but he didn't budge.

She started to calm down. He lifted up a little, looked into her eyes and then kissed her again. This time she kissed back. She could feel his tongue pushing into her mouth, barely touching the tip of hers. He smelled like a man, part aftershave, part musk. She reached around his head and pulled him in even closer.

He felt so many strange and disturbing things. House was so happy to feel her again, to smell and touch her soft skin. But part of him was angry; angry at himself for letting her get shot, not protecting her. His failure to keep her safe embarrassed him for some reason. Maia seemed oblivious to the idea that he should have done more. House was frightened and worried. _Who wants her dead? Who wanted to kidnap her and why? Is she going to get me killed too?_

House pulled up, "You have to stay calm right now. Your wound is fragile and you need to get some rest. I'll be back in the morning. You sleep."

Maia reached up to touch his face as he bent over, "Greg, I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this. You should get out now. Once we figure out what's going on, then maybe we could try again. But I don't want you hurt. If I thought for one moment my actions hurt another person again, hurt you, I don't think I could take it."

He didn't smile, "Look I ran once; I'm not doing it again. Get some sleep and I'll be back in the morning."

She tried to search his face for some confirmation of how he felt. Was he doing this out of pity or because he cared? She couldn't tell and he wasn't saying. She thought back to the restaurant and his backtracking, telling her it was too soon to talk about love.

He grabbed his cane and made his way out the door without looking back. He knew she was watching him, but he didn't want her to make eye contact, to know that he still felt guilty.


	25. Chapter 12 Part 1 Showdown

**Chapter 12**

**Showdown**

Maia was being examined by Chase when House entered her hospital room the following day. Chase said nothing for the first few minutes and then looked up at Maia.

"Looks good, no sign of infection. You can probably go home in a few days, maybe tomorrow. We need to make sure you don't start bleeding again."

"Will I have permanent damage?"

"The bullet went straight through. It nicked your artery which is why you were bleeding so much and took a small chunk of your intestines. But otherwise, it missed your major organs." He changed the bandage. "I bet you'll be glad to go home; you've been spending a lot of time in here."

She smiled wearily, "Up until January of this year, I'd never spent a night in a hospital. I can't seem to get out of this one."

Chase patted her arm, "Well, I'll check back this afternoon." He turned to House, "You're in early. Patient?"

"Nope, they had a special on chocolate chip pancakes in the cafeteria."

Chase shook his head and left.

He went over and looked down, noticing she had cleaned up. He wondered how she could look so pretty in a hospital bed, "You're not dead yet?"

"Disappointed?"

"Damn right, I'll never collect on that insurance policy." He bent down and kissed her forehead, then lifted up, "No, I'm not disappointed, the sex is too good. I am disappointed that you don't have a tray of food for me to eat."

"I ate already."

House turned around and walked out, coming back a few minutes later with a muffin and coffee. Maia was asleep.

Turning on the television, House watched some morning game shows while Maia tossed and turned, wincing occasionally from the pain. He began to worry when he saw her temperature start to rise. He called Chase, who prescribed an antibiotic and ordered an MRI.

Maia had to be wakened to receive the new IV of antibiotics and get an MRI. When she returned, House was still in the same position as when she left, watching television. She smiled over at him and reached out. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"You don't have to stay," she said.

"As long as I'm here I stay out of Cuddy's view."

She chuckled and then looked up at the television. The news was on one of the stations. House stopped on the channel to see if there had been anything knew about the shooting. Nothing was mentioned so House turned the channel.

"_Turn back, quick!"_

House flipped it back. The news showed three men in suits, one with a briefcase leaving the Federal Courthouse. A photo of another man was displayed in the upper corner of the screen.

"Wow, I know the guy in the picture."

House held a finger to his lips, "Shhhh, let's find out what's happening."

Maia turned to the television.

_"…body found in his car in February with a bullet to the back of the head. The district attorney and assistant attorney general both indicated today that they do not have enough evidence to indict __Bellinghere__ or Torino, but are looking for a key piece of evidence. Authorities would not reveal the nature of the evidence, but do indicate that they have an excellent lead. Turning to sports, the Phillies…"_

House turned to Maia, "Did you get any of that?"

"Who was dead? Why?" Maia asked.

House leaned forward, "Maia, you said you didn't know anyone in the mafia. A bullet to the back of the head is their earmark. If you know that guy in the photo, he's mafia."

Maia had a chill go down her spine, "Phil introduced me to him. His name was Joey Maglione."

_"_Phil? As in _dead Phil?"_

Maia nodded.

"Don't you think that's just too much of a coincidence? This mafia guy you met is dead, the guy who introduced you to him is dead and someone out there is trying to kill you. We need to find out what's going on. I'm going to go down to my office and grab the newspaper. I'll be back."

He returned, newspaper folded back to the story.

_Joseph __Maglione__, 36, a soldier in the __Bellinghere__ Family was found dead in February with a bullet to the back of the head one mile north of Trenton. It is estimated that __Maglione__ had been dead thirty-six hours. __Maglione__ was part of a full-scale investigation into the __Bellinghere__ family. It is believed that __Maglione__ was killed by __Bellinghere's__ foot __soliders__ for reasons unknown at present. _

Maia looked up at House, "I guess I better call Detective Smithers."

"Tell me what happened when you met Maglione?"

"Phil wanted me to help Maglione fill out some forms in his divorce…financial forms listing all his accounts. He had statements from his accounts around the world, New Jersey, New York, Cayman Islands. I wanted to list all the accounts, but he didn't want the New York ones or Cayman island accounts included. He got angry and left."

"Do you have the forms?"

"No." She thought for a second. "But, he did leave one of the statements with me by accident, one of the ones from the Cayman Islands."

House shook his head and laughed, "You have an account document for the Cayman Islands from a mobster?"

"I didn't know he was a mobster! I just thought he was a guy going through a divorce with an account in the Caymans that he didn't want to tell his wife about. I told Phil to take it back to him, but he never did. He told me the guy had moved."

"Did he say that he moved in with the fishes? Maia, you better let Bear know that someone may be making a special visit to your abode to ransack it. You don't want him messing with the mob if they decide to look for that document."

"You think they'd hurt him?"

"One word…Phil. No, four words, Phil _and _his girlfriend."

Maia was distressed to know that Bear and the rest of her friends at the restaurant might be hurt. "Greg, hand me the phone so I can call Bear."

House called Bear for Maia and handed her the receiver. She warned him to be careful. Bear went upstairs to check, but didn't notice anything different.

He laughed into the cell phone, "Still messy as ever."

"Bear, be very careful. These guys are serious."

"You take care too. I'll come by and see you this afternoon."

"Okay, see you later Bear, bye."

She turned to see House pulling his keys out of his trousers, "I've got something to do. I'll be back later." House turned and took off with a purpose. If he couldn't take a bullet for her, he could at least walk into the lion's den and find out who was doing this.

* * *

Donatos bar in Trenton was a large bar with tables in the front, a bar in the middle and an area for several pool tables towards the back. It had wide-slat, dark wood floors layered with peanut shells that were swept up each night. A large juke box sat in the front and there were venetian blinds covering eight large windows. The bar was old, the wood well worn, the bar stool covers split.

House walked in, stood and stared at the bar where three men sat, smoking and drinking . They looked up and when he didn't appear to be there to drink, they turned and put their hands inside their coats in a defensive posture.

The older, chubbier one with silver hair laced with black nodded at him, "Whach you want?"

"I've come to talk to your boss. Where is he?"

They all laughed at him. After calming down the silver one looked at House, "You think you can walk in here and just ask for the boss?

"Yeah," House answered, showing no signs of fear. "Tell your boss, Greg House is here."

House felt a large hand grab his upper arm from behind and throw him forward. He stumbled forward and fell to the ground, turning up just in time to see a gun in his face. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The fortyish good looking man with Italian features looked up at the silver-haired man, "Who'se this cazzo?"

The silver-haired man shrugged his shoulders, "He came in demanding to see the boss."

The man stood back up. House stood up slowly, straightening his clothes as he did. They stood glaring and sizing each other up.

"What do you want with the boss?"

House fixed his gaze on the man with the gun, "I need some information."

The guy was obviously frustrated, "What _kind _of information?"

"About my girlfriend."

The guy laughed, "What? Is the boss bangin' your girl?"

House didn't acknowledge him, "I need to see him."

"Get out of here." He waved his gun towards the door.

"You think I'm going to leave? Tell your boss that Greg House is here and I would suggest when you do, you tell him that I'm sitting at that bar with a complimentary double Talisker, waiting for him."

The gun was shoved in House's face again and there was more laughter, except from the silver haired guy. "Greg House? That sounds familiar. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a doctor at Princeton-Plainsboro."

The silver-haired man nodded and laughed, "Have a seat doctor, the drink's on the house." The others stared at the man as he waved House over to a bar stool. "This is the doctor who saved Joey. Get Bill on the line, tell him the doc needs to talk to him."

The others relaxed and one of them picked up the phone and dialed. Within an hour an entourage showed up and Bill Arnelo walked in wearing sunglasses and an Armani 200 weight suit. He smiled as he approached the bar.

"Dr. House! It's good to see you. I was a little shocked to hear you need some information about your girlfriend? Frankly, I didn't think a woman would date you." He chuckled and slapped House on the back.

House raised a single eyebrow. "My girlfriend is Maia Connelly."

Bill jerked his head back in surprise, "Really?" He shook his head and smiled. "Man you jump in the middle of it, don't you? Doc, you may be in the market for a new girlfriend soon."

"I'm not laughing. Who wants her and why?

Bill looked around, thought about it for a minute, "Come back to my office."

House followed the well dressed Italian to the back and entered the office full of leather furniture and a large ornate Italian desk. House sat down on the sofa. Rather than sit behind his desk, Bill joined House and sat in the leather chair next to him.

"You're girlfriend's got two families interested in her well being. You heard about a guy named Joey Maglione? Joey was part of the Bellinghere family. Apparently he squirreled some money away for himself in the Cayman Islands that Bellinghere gave to him for safe keeping. That money is the only evidence of an illegal arms deal Bellinghere put together. It turns out that your girlfriend came into possession of some documentation on this big deal. Joey didn't want his boss to know that she had the docs and where he put the money. So he and his cousin tried to take your girlfriend out quietly back in January. Bellinghere found out that Joey had screwed him over and now Joey's no longer with us. Bellinghere didn't know about the documentation until Joey's cousin said something when he was drunk. Bellinghere wants your girlfriend out of the picture so she can't testify against him. The Torino family found out about the money from Joey's cousin, who eventually went to them for protection from the Bellingheres. Apparently, the Torinos want your girlfriend so they can get their hands on the account information to blackmail Bellinghere. They want some of his action in east Trenton. They sent someone down to invite your girlfriend to a meeting so they could get the papers, but he ended up with his brain blown out."

House took a drink from his Talisker, "Testify? Well, assuming she does have something, why would she have to testify."

Bill shrugged his shoulders, "The lawyers say that with Joey dead, they'd need her to say she got the document from him."

House thought about it, it made sense.

"Doc…you don't have feelings for her do you?"

He narrowed his eyes, "She's my girlfriend, not my neighbor or my employee or my boss. Of course I have feelings for her."

Bill sat back and studied House. He'd always found House to be a strange fuck. Someone he trusted, but wasn't sure he'd like if they hung out. "Doc, she's not a good bet."

House leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "How do I make it a safe bet?"

Bill snickered, "You're joking?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? She's my friggin' girlfriend for Christ sake!"

"Well, I wouldn't worry about the Torinos…you scared them off with your heroics the other day. They know the FBI will be on to her now. The best thing for her to do is to…" Bill leaned forward to whisper, "…give the documents to the FBI, let them protect her. They're the only ones with the manpower and guns."

House nodded. "Thanks." He got up and grabbed his cane, getting up to leave.

Bill got up with him, "You know Joey's doin' well in the program. He's not supposed to, but he calls me. Wait 'til he hears you're gettin some regular tail. He didn't think you liked women."

House tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows, "You thought I was gay?"

He shook his head,"Nah, not gay…just not interested in pussy."

"Jesus."

"I'm glad you get yourself some from time to time. She must be some piece of ass if she got your attention."

"Yeah, she's some piece of ass. And she's my piece of ass."

"Cool. Well, it was good seeing you again. Hey, you want a new suit? I've got some Armanis… come with me."

House followed Bill into the basement of the bar and was delighted by the sight of numerous cases of liquor including two of Talisker. In the corner was a rack of suits. House stepped over and Bill pulled one out, an olive tweed.

"Nope, too short. You've got long arms…" Bill pulled out another one, a 44L tailored navy blue pinstripe suit. The label was definitely Armani. "Yeah, this is it. It goes with your eyes."

House looked at it, it was a beautiful suit. "How about a case of Talisker to go with it?"

Bill nodded to one of his guys to grab a case, "Put it in his trunk."

House was a happy camper, an Armani suit and a case of Talisker. _Too cool._


	26. Chapter 12 Part 2

_**Dear Readers, I'm still not home from my trip yet...so I have been trying to post as I get access to wifi and have my computer. I'll be home on Wed. Thanks for your kind comments.**_

_Chapter 12 Part 2 _

Maia looked at House, "Bill? Who's Bill?"

"Bill Arnelo, I saved his brother Joey."

"Joey Arnelo? You saved Joey Arnelo's life?"

"It's what I do." He exhaled, "Sit back, this is quite an adventure. Not to mention you're in some deep shit." House told Maia what Bill had told him, punctuating it with embellishing details about his bravery when he first entered the bar. Maia loved every word, he told a good yarn.

Maia sat up, the pain searing through her torso. She grabbed her side, "Ahhhgg."

"_Lay down you Idiot. _

"I never want you doing that again…don't ever risk your life to do something like that again." Maia was genuinely upset when she had time to think of what danger he had placed himself in. She calmed down, "What should I do?"

"I always think better after sex, but since that's out of question…"

She glared at him.

He gave her a sheepish smile, "First try getting better. Everything else can wait. And I'm serious. You need to get better before you do anything."

She looked at him and shook her head, "You can be such an ass. But then, just when I ask myself what I'm doing with you, you say something like that. Not quite romantic, but just enough to show that you care. You're a very complicated date."

"Not so complicated…feed and fuck me and I'm happy."

Giggling she blurted out, "You're never happy. Satisfied maybe, but not happy."

"Happiness is overrated, but if we could get you well enough to provide the two f's, it would go a long way to making me happy."

"I don't know what I'd do with a happy Greg."

He smiled, "Feed me and fuck me."

Maia threw a wadded up napkin at him. He gave her a feigned look of surprise and then walked up, leaned down and kissed her. She loved his smell, so manly and warm. Bending back down for another, he kissed her with more passion. She wrapped her free arm around him and pulled him down. House was making a move with his hand for her breast when they heard someone clear their throat. House looked up without disengaging. When he saw that it was Smithers, he pulled back.

Smithers smiled at the two of them, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask some more questions."

"Can't this wait? I was just getting lucky."

Smithers smiled at House and shook her head. She walked a little closer to the bed and pulled out a pad and pen. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better. Not as groggy."

"Glad to hear that. I just received disturbing news that you're the focus of attention of two families. We pulled in an informant last night. He's not sure exactly why, but the Bellinghere's want you dead and the Torinos want you alive, but in their control. I know you didn't think you had any connection to the mob, but think hard Maia, what do you think is your connection to these families?"

She looked up at House, her eyes fixed on him. He shrugged, indicating that she had to do what she had to do. House turned to Smithers, "We think we know what it is." House turned to Maia.

Smithers also turned her attention back to Maia, wondering just what it was that had her so nervous.

Maia swallowed and sighed, "Phil once brought Joey Maglione over for help in filling out some forms in his divorce. They were financial forms. He got mad when I told him that he had to fill them out truthfully and left. But he had dropped an envelope containing the account information for an account in the Caymans. I only glanced at it to see what it was. I tried to get Phil to take it back to him, but he said that Joey had moved. Of course, now we know he was really dead. I stored the document along with others in a box when I moved. I don't have it at my studio."

"Where is it?" Smithers asked.

"The Umbatus, a family in my old apartment building, are keeping the box for me. They have it."

Smithers felt goose bumps ruin down "Jesus Christ. Does anyone else know that?"

Maia shook her head violently, "No. I didn't even know it was important until today."

Smithers sighed in relief, "Obviously, we need to retrieve that document."

"I need to call the Umbatus or their going to think you're there to arrest them. What's going to happen?"

"I'm not sure, it depends on the impact of the document."

House sat down, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, if it leads to an indictment…"she trailed off, looking over at Maia.

Maia understood, "I'll be asked to testify to authenticate the document." Looking at Smithers, Maia shook her head and sighed, "You do know about my past? You know that I'll be a hard sell to the jury?"

"I'm not so sure. You've done pretty well since you wigged out. You've stayed in the community when most people would have left; you repaid your victims and you 've been on the up and up ever since."

"Thanks, but it hasn't won me any kudos."

She chuckled, "Well, you don't really expect to be patted on the back for being clean when most people do it on a daily basis?"

"Et tu brute?"

"Huh?" Smithers cocked her head.

That afternoon the Umbatus brought the boxes of documents down to the hospital and gave them to Maia to go through. She couldn't let the police have them because there were sensitive documents from other clients also in the boxes. Maia cut open the tape on the cardboard boxes and started her search. It was in the second box that she found the envelope. She pulled it out, having never really looked at it that closely and read it. The account had several deposits adding up to $1.85 million dollars. Maia laughed when she saw it. She understood now why everyone wanted her dead or alive. The FBI agent and Smithers showed up a few minutes later.

Smithers smiled, "Maia, you have your own special agent assigned to you, this is Andrew Quail."

Maia was already staring at the man and his deep blue eyes. _Greg's eyes may be a __brilliant light__ blue, but Quail's are a luminescent dark blue._ If it weren't enough that the eyes were an incredible color, he looked a lot like Errol Flynn. When he smiled, he had a glint of mischievous imp that made you squirm with delight. He reached out with his hand which Maia didn't notice at first. She was still staring at the eyes.

"Call me Andy." He waited until she finally noticed the hand.

Maia slowly took his hand and gave him a gentle, but firm handshake, "Maia, but you can call me Maia."

They are chuckled.

"I've been assigned to do two things. First I'll collect and analyze the document you have. Second, I'm here to protect you. We'll most likely put you into the witness protection program until the trial. We'll be a team."

Maia, sounding almost drunk, narrowed her eyes and straightened up, pushing her hair behind her ear, "A team?"

"Yes, you'll have access to me 24 hours a day. If I'm not with you, you'll have a direct line to me and will have FBI protection 24/7."

"Oh shit." Maia said absentmindedly. Upset that she might have to go into a protection program, knowing House would have a fit.

Andy looked at Smithers, puzzled. "Excuse me?" he said to Maia.

Maia came out of her stupor, "Huh?"

"You seemed upset?" he ventured.

_Upset? I'm going to be thrown in with a handsome thirty-something FBI agent for who knows how long? I'm not upset, I'm just pissed it didn't happen sooner. _Maia smiled warmly at Andy and was about to reassure him when she saw the door open and House stepped in, "Oh shit."

Andy was just as puzzled. But upon hearing the door open he went immediately for his gun, putting a calm, but ready, hand on it. He didn't take it from its holster. Maia noticed that he was very fast, reassuring her that she would be in great, expressive and capable hands.

House walked over to take a look at the new addition to the room. He was no fool, this guy was law enforcement and he was strikingly handsome. The women in the room were both postured in a way to best display their hair, face, bodies, meaning that they had noted his features too.

Smithers held out a hand to introduce House, "Andy, this is Dr. House, the doctor I told you about. Dr. House, this is Andrew Quail, FBI."

Quail shook House's hand, "Oh, yes. I'll have to interview you later, doctor." He turned back to Maia, "How long will you be in here?"

Maia shrugged her shoulders, "They're waiting to see if I need one more surgery before letting me go."

House cleared his throat, "I came to tell you that they found a bleeder, they have to reopen you and go in to close it up."

Maia looked up at Smithers and Andy, both quiet. "I guess I'll be in for a few days. When will they do this?"

House put his hand on top of hers, "It's not life threatening yet, so they plan to do it tomorrow."

Maia didn't squeeze House's hand or even acknowledge the touch. She smiled up at Andy, "Now what?"

"Well, first, where's the document? Second, the FBI will be taking over your protection. In fact, the big ugly guy out there right now is FBI."

Maia, handed the document to Andy, who, in turn, nodded to Smithers to take it. Smithers put on gloves, took the envelope and put it into a clear baggie, closed it up and wrote something on the white label.

"Well, Maia, I'm going to get going and leave Andy here to take care of you. Nice seeing you Dr. House." Smithers gave House a smile that made Maia take notice.

_She has a crush on him. She has a crush on Greg! _Maia glanced over at House and noticed the smile was returned with a flirty grin. _Two can play that game. And I'm better at it._


	27. Chapter 12 Part 3

**Snowmelt Chapter 12 Part3**

"Andy, where are you from?" Maia asked, smoothing her hair back and giving him a sensual smile.

"Portland, Oregon."

House sat down, extending his long lazy legs in front of him, crossed at the ankle. He put his cane down. He watched soberly as Maia appeared very interested in Andy Quail's every word. _Alright, even I can't stop looking at this guy's eyes. They're an odd, but striking blue. I wonder if they're contacts. He's 5'10", maybe 5'11", but he stands straight, looks taller. That suit is cut just right for his body. You can barely see the outline of his muscles in the coat. __Hmmm.__ What's his vulnerability? Is she really interested in him? Look at her preen._

Andy turned to House, having a distinct feeling House was analyzing him for some reason. "Dr. House, I won't need to interview you right now. If you don't mind, you can go back to work and I can talk to Maia."

Maia snickered to herself. She knew Greg House wasn't going to take well to being dismissed.

"No, I don't mind _going_ to work, it's that eight hour wait to go home that's a bitch."

Andy smiled, "Well, I thought I'd start out by talking to Maia and I'd like to do that alone."

House narrowed his eyes, "Ms. Connelly is a lawyer, I'm her interpreter. You know all that legalese…difficult to wade through the bullshit.'

Maia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Andy found a chair and sat down, "Don't worry, I'm a lawyer too. I think I can sift through the bull; you can leave her to me."

House didn't like that line; he wasn't leaving her to anyone. "Well, just the other night after she stopped screaming, "Oh yeah, Greg, yeah, that's it, more baby, more." She asked me to never leave her. So…here I am."

Maia closed her eyes in embarrassment. Andy looked over at Maia and saw that she was mortified. Now he understood, the brilliant Gregory House, of whom he had heard so much from Smithers, was planting his flag on Maia. That could be a problem.

Andy smiled, "Well, that's fine, you can stay if Maia doesn't mind. I just need to ask her about her home business and she may not want to discuss business in front of you."

"Don't worry, I was one of her best clients." House poured a glass of water and took a drink.

Andy already knew this after reviewing and analyzing Maia's phone records, but wanted to give Maia the opportunity to shoo House away if she felt it might get too strange having a boyfriend around while she talked about her sex business. Andy had to admit, the gorgeous woman in Maia's ad looked nothing like her. He was attracted to the young brunette coed and was disappointed when Smithers shook her head, saying that Maia looked nothing like the ad. However, there was something about Maia, the look of intelligence, the smile, a touch of fire, that made her attractive in her own right. Andy wanted very much to get to know her, without House nearby. He wondered if he threw a bone, would House run after it?

Maia looked piercingly at House, "Greg, I don't really want to talk about my other clients in front of you, could you go play with your team and let us talk?"

House shrugged his shoulders and smiled whimsically. "Just a sec." He pulled his page from his pocket, reached over, grabbed the phone and acted as if he was answering it. Standing up, he twirled his cane, pretended to flip his hair back and waddled out of the room. Maia smiled, he could be very cute when he wanted to be.

Andy watched House leave and asked himself what she saw in him? He was obviously full of himself; he was an odd, eccentric character. Maia seemed warm and outgoing, why was she hooked up with him?

Out in the hall, House flipped open his cell. He could hear the conversation between Maia and Andy, having dialed his cell phone from her bedside and then leaving the line open. Amateurish as it was, it was working.

When the door closed, Andy faced Maia and turned sober. "You know that you're going to have to disappear. Dr. House won't be told where you are. You'll have to sever all ties to him until after the trial and maybe even after that."

Horror swept over her face, "If anyone can find me, it will be him. You'd be better off telling him where I am so it isn't a puzzle he has to solve. He spent a full month going into forty restaurants looking for me in the Princeton area. He's tenacious."

Andy chuckled, "Tenacious isn't the word I'd use for him." Andy scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

She shook her head after reading the paper she smiled and nodded, "Perhaps, jerk, asshole, narcissist?"

"You're getting closer."

Maia started snickering.

Andy tilted his head, "How long have you two been dating?"

Maia looked to the ceiling, counting, "Five days?"

Andy pulled his head back in surprise, "Just five days? You mean I'm five days too late?"

She shrugged and grimaced, "Greg and I have been talking to each other for over a year on the phone and we've seen each other in the flesh since the beginning of January. It just took a little while for us to realize we wanted to date."

"Five days? Isn't that a little short to now trust him with your life? I mean, from all accounts, the guy ran when the bullets started flying."

Maia sat up in bed and wagged her finger at him, "They were using him to get to me. I told him to run, to get help."

Andy shook his head, "Maia, I read the reports, you waved him off, but you didn't tell him to get help."

Her voice was stern, warning him, "It was implied." She looked down again at the note Andy had passed her. It read, C_areful, open phone – House is listening._

Andy smiled, "You must really care about this guy to be sticking up for him. Maybe time away from him will change your mind."

"He saved my life twice and I owe him."

"So, you only care because you think you owe him?"

She looked at the phone and thought about him listening in on the other end, "It's more than that. He has his moments." She wanted to tell Andy that she was in love with House, but not with him listening.

"I'm sure he does." Andy said calmly. "Well, we're going to be moving you as soon as the doctors say that you can leave. We'll hire a caretaker for you until if necessary, but it's too hard to guard you in here. I'll be there to take care of you too." Andy was hoping he could rile House, test him and see what House would do under the pressure of knowing Maia was going to be gone for awhile.

House had been laying back in his chair in his office. He sat up straight when he heard Andy's flirtatious comments about being there to take care of her. He grabbed his cane and took off, cell phone still attached to his ear.

"Guard me? Now that you have the document, what do they get by taking me?"

"I'm not worried about the Torinos. You've spoiled their fun. But the Bellingheres want you dead now more than ever. You're the only one who can authenticate the document."

"Is it really that important?"

He grinned and nodded, "Oh yeah. This is the documentary evidence of the arms deal. It will put away four of the Capos in the family. You're our star witness."

"Crap."

Andy got up, pointed at the phone and smiled, "Well, I'm really looking forward to getting to know you. And if it's any consolation, it's my job to take the bullet for you and _I will_."

Maia smirked and shook her head at Andy, "Well, that's nice of you. I'd have to say that you seem quite nice and I'm glad that you ended up with the duty of having to guard me."

House picked up the pace.

Andy chuckled, "Well, I have to admit, when I saw your photo I volunteered."

The slider flew open with House bounding through. Andy looked at Maia and gave her a wink. House looked flustered.

"Greg? Are you okay? You look really winded."

House caught his breath, "I came back to take see if you wanted to…" He looked around, "Watch television with me."

"Television? You ran all the way here to ask if I wanted to watch television with you?"

House walked over to the table, "I have a page, let me answer it." He lifted up the phone and pretended to dial, much to the amusement of both Andy and Maia. House gave the impression of listening and then hung up to close the line. He used these few seconds to think, trying to figure out what he should do next. He knew one thing for sure, he wasn't going to leave Maia alone with the handsome Andy for the next year. It was too big of a risk.

House glared at Andy, "I'd like to examine my girlfriend if you don't mind."

"Pardon me?" Andy asked, smiling.

House's arms were flailing, "I need to check her wound…now get out and stay out for the next half hour."

Maia tilted her head as she stared at House. Andy glanced over to Maia for confirmation that he should leave. She shrugged her shoulders, smiled and gave Andy a little wave goodbye as he left the room. House closed the blinds and then went back over to the bed. Maia watched as he hemmed and hawed, not sure what to say.

House finally blurted out, "Do you think that I deserted you? That I wouldn't take a bullet for you if it was the only way to save your life?"

She furred her brow and narrowed her eyes, "What are we talking about here? Do you think I blame you?"

He didn't answer, but from the look on his face she could tell he did. Her heart burst, he looked so miserable, "Oh Greg! Oh God. I shouldn't say this. I know I'll regret it. You'll figure out some way to manipulate me with it. But, I don't blame you at all. If anything had happened to you because of me, I would have never forgiven myself. Greg, when that man threatened you, I knew right then that I was inconsolably in love with you. You asshole."

He stopped, smiled like the devil, wheels turning in his head, "Inconsolably?"

"Asshole." She waited, watching the grin get wider. "Oh, God. You could at least _pretend_ not to be thinking of ways to use this information against me."

"I was just thinking if I could shag you with an IV."

She shook her head, "I said I loved you, not, 'I'm horny.' Contrary to what the male population would tell you, they aren't the same sentiment."

He put a finger to his lips in thought, "Sorry, I get them confused."

"I take it you're horny."

"Well, that or I'm in love."

Maia said nothing.

House stuck his face about a foot from hers, "Hello? Did you hear me?"

Maia frowned, "Greg, don't fool around with something like that."

He took a deep breath, glancing back at the sliding door to make sure it was closed. "Maia, I've been in love with you ever since you asked if I liked it when a woman licked my balls."

Maia started laughing.

"I was already fixated on you from the start. Then when I found out who you were, I admit, I was disappointed. I wanted you to at least be a brunette. But, even after finding out, I kept thinking about you, wanting to see you. Now, I find myself looking at blondes…blondes with gray hair poking through."

"Greg, I need for you to be serious for a minute. Are you just saying this to be funny and manipulative or do you really have feelings for me?"

"Maia, you're the most complex woman I've ever met. You're totally flawed, but you keep coming back like Marciano. I love you. What we do with that, I don't know. I don't have a good record with the women I've loved. Just ask Maggie and Stacy."

She reached out for him to hug her. After sitting down on the bed, House leaned forward to enfold her into his arms. He kissed her neck as they hugged, feeling little jerks that indicated she was crying.

"Oh for Christ sakes, you're not crying are you?"

"I am. I've never had a man tell me he loves me at the same time I've told him. Timing has never been my strong suit. I usually tell them and they run screaming into the night."

He kissed her lips, "But it's not night, yet." He pulled back and picked up her hand, "Maia, let's get married."


	28. Chapter 12 Part 4

Snowmelt Chapter 12 Part 4

Maia gasped, "_What?_ You must be absolutely crazy. We haven't even been out on a real date yet."

"We've told each other secrets on the phone; gone through a lot of crap together and we're smokin' in bed. I know I am crude, cruel and critical, but, if we don't get married soon, the FBI will put you into the witness protection program and we won't see each other until the trial is over, which could be years. Is that what you want?" He watched as she shook her head. "The only way we'll get to see each other is if we're married."

"But what if we find we can't live with each other?"

"That's why God created divorce."

There was a long pause while Maia thought. The idea of being apart from him for months, a year, maybe years, was unbearable. They had spent this last year testing the waters, going through hell and now they were going to be separated. Maia knew it was crazy, but she ached to be with House.

House couldn't stand the silence so he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, then kissed her lips. He whispered, "What have you got to lose?"

She took in the smell of his Ferragamo cologne and the feel of his beard against her skin. It was so sensual, so sexy. Maia sighed, "We'll need a license and you'll need a prenup."

House smirked, "Prenup? I don't need a prenup."

Maia shook her head, "I have two words for you, Paul McCartney."

He rolled his eyes, "I still don't need a prenup; you're too worried about your reputation to take anything from me."

"No I'm not. I like that Fender you have on the wall."

"I'll give it to you."

Maia chuckled. What she didn't know was that House meant it. He'd give her his piano if she'd stay. He was almost fifty and figured that he wasn't going to get too many more opportunities to explore love. He didn't want to be alone, at least for now.

He searched her eyes and realized from the slow smile crossing her lips that she was saying yes. "I'll work on the license." House bent down again to give her a longer kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled. "No one is going to believe me."

"You're going to have to get a court to let me sign for the marriage license in the hospital. Then we have to wait three days. Do you think I'll still be in here?"

"Possibly, but they know where the bleeder is. They'll cauterize it laproscopically. But don't you worry about the wedding. I'll take care of the details."

"I never thought I'd get married in a hospital."

House heard the disappointment in her voice, "I never thought I'd get married."

She laughed, "You're going to shock everyone."

He winced, "Well, my plan means we probably won't be able to tell anyone for awhile. But when this is all over, we'll have a second wedding, if you want one."

* * *

House disappeared for the entire day causing Maia to believe that he had run screaming into the night. She wasn't allowed to eat after six, so she drank some water, watched Jeopardy and fell asleep. At nine that night, she felt a hand on her shoulder, nudging her to wake up. She lazily opened up one eye, sure that it was going to be a nurse with more medicine. She sat up when she saw House staring down at her. Behind him were Andy, Smithers, and two more men in suits.

House started singing:

"Hey little sister what have you done?Hey little sister who's the only one?Hey little sister who's your superman?Hey little sister who's the one you want?Hey little sister shotgun!It's a nice day to start again It's a nice day for a white weddingIt's a nice day to start again

Maia opened one eye and looked up, brow furred, eyes narrowed and lips pursed, "Are you okay?" She asked as House sang to her while strumming his air guitar.

He stopped mid-stroke, "We're getting married. Meet Smithers, you're new best girlfriend and maid of honor. Andy, my always a best man, never a groom, side kick. This is Friar Tuck, and this is …"House paused and looked at Andy with a quizzical look.

Andy volunteered, "Your photographer and usher."

"Right!" House nodded.

Maia saw the little cardboard camera in the man's hand and nodded. "Can you find me a comb or brush?"

House looked at Smithers, who opened her purse and found a small brush. Maia quickly brushed her matted hair and then pointed for House to hand her the mouthwash that came in her little hospital kit. She took a swig, rinsed her mouth and swallowed, not wanting to spit in front of everyone."

House was nervous, "Great, sign here." He handed her a form for a marriage license, which she signed, her hand slightly unsteady from all the drugs and stress.

"Okay, don't we have to wait three days?" Maia asked.

Andy spoke up, "No, Judge Randolph has waived the waiting period and the need for you to make a personal appearance for your license. You're good to go."

Maia turned white, realizing that they were really going to go through with it. She had wanted to do it that morning, but now she wasn't sure. Everything felt rushed.

Everyone in the room could see her panic. His own nervousness was quickly gone; House was now frustrated, worried she was going to back out in front of everyone. He cocked his head and was about to say something when Smithers intervened.

"Maia, you sure you want to go through with this?"

House grabbed Maia's hand as she looked from person to person, all waiting for her answer.

Andy stepped forward, "Let's give the two of them a moment."

Maia looked up into House's eyes and saw the hurt and disappointment. She knew that it wasn't her doubts she was worried about. She had been afraid that House was doing it as an impulse, something 'different' to make his life more exciting. But his slumped shoulders and sad eyes were the actions of a man who really had his heart set on marrying her.

"No, I want this. I really do want this. You guys just woke me up out of a sound sleep."

House swallowed and grinned. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Andy cleared his throat, "Well, we pulled Magistrate Tarkington out of a formal dinner to do this, so we should get started."

Maia and House both nodded. The Magistrate had apparently stopped by a computer, because he had a printout in his hand. Despite the fact that he was a short man, his voice was booming, "Great, I need to get back to my dinner. So let's get on with this."

House held Maia's hand as she sat up straight. The blinds were drawn and instructions had been given that no one was to enter the room for the next half hour. The Magistrate was about to begin when House held up a hand, "Wait!" He hobbled over to a boom box he had brought with him and pressed play. Pachelbel's Cannon in G major played and everyone giggled. House resumed his position next to Maia.

"Dearly beloved, we are assembled here in the presence of God—"

House rolled his eyes.

"-- and these witnesses to celebrate the joining of this man and this woman in the unity of marriage. There are no obligations on earth sweeter or tender than those you are about to assume. There are no vows more solemn than those you are about to make.

Do you understand this? "

House and Maia both said, "Yes" in unison.

"Will you please look at each other and continue to hold hands?

Gregory John House, will you take this woman, whose hand you hold, choosing her alone to be your wedded wife? Will you live with her in the state of true matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor her at all times, and be faithful to her?"

The smile fell from House's mouth, he looked at Maia, who was sure he was going to say something flippant, and said, "I do."

Maia started crying.

"Maia Kathleen Connelly, will you take this man, whose hand you hold, choosing him alone to be your wedded husband? Will you live with him in the state of true matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor him at all times, and be faithful to him?"

The tears were now falling off of her chin and onto the bed. Smithers was crying too. She nodded and tried over her sobs to get out the, "I do." But everyone later admitted that it sounded more like, "I foo."

The Magistrate looked at House, who nodded that she had said yes, and continued, "As you take these vows I would have you remember:

To love is to come together from the pathways of our past and then move forward...Hand in hand, along the uncharted roads of our future, ready to risk, to dream, and to dare... And always believe that all things are possible with faith and love in God, and in each other.

Do you have a ring?"

House pulled out a small blue felt bag and grabbed the ring out of it. Maia was curios, but realized she'd have to wait until later to have a look at it.

"Will you repeat after me?

I, Gregory John House, with this ring, take you, Maia Kathleen Connelly, to be my wife, to love and cherish, from this day forward, and thereto pledge you my faith."

House repeated it and slipped the ring on her ring finger, where it twirled around, too big for her tiny finger.

"Maia, would you please repeat after me. I, Maia Kathleen Connelly, take you, Gregory John House, to be my husband, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, and thereto pledge you my faith."

Maia said her part without hesitation.

"In as much as you, Gregory John House , and you, Maia Kathleen Connelly, have consented together in the union of matrimony and you have pledged your faith each to the other in the presence of God and this company, now by the authority vested in me as a Magistrate, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife!

You may kiss!"

The flash of the cardboard camera went off.

The magistrate watched as House grabbed Maia and kissed her, tongue and all. Waiting patiently for them to separate, the Magistrate held out a hand to congratulate the couple.

"Congratulations, sorry to run, but I really do have to go. So please sign these papers and I'll get out of here."

They all signed the papers and posed for one photo with the Magistrate before he was out the door. Andy and Smithers congratulated the couple, as did the camera man, who continued to snap photos and then handed the camera to House. The police all left and House was left alone with Maia.

The room was quiet. Maia's heart rate and blood pressure increased as she realized she was married. She looked at House who apparently was having the same reaction.

He swallowed, "Why do I feel like my life just flashed in front of me and my Grandmother is calling, 'come into the light Greggie.'?"

They started laughing. Reaching around his waist as he stood, Maia said, "Greg, I think I'm happy. I'm laying here shot up, people trying to kill me and the FBI wants to hide me away and I think I'm happy!"

He chuckled, "You're not happy, you're just less miserable today." He rubbed her back, "So am I."

"It wasn't the way I expected it."

"Well, if you ever need an out, just claim you were on morphine and didn't know what you were doing." He nodded to the IV.

"You think that will work?"

"It worked on my last annulment." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"How did you make this work?"

"I told Andy I was on my way down to the public registrar to get a license to marry you…publically. Obviously, that throws a wrench into their ability to protect you so, after some negotiating, they made all the arrangements, I just had to go down for the hearing, say a few words to a judge and voila, we have a wedding license and a Magistrate for a clandestine wedding. Our registration will be private, no one will have access to the records so that the mob doesn't know that I am your one true love and you would throw yourself on the sword to keep me safe. I even have a gag order so that when I apply later for your health insurance the company will have to backdate it to today. They won't be able to claim that I should have notified them immediately."

"You really did think this through, didn't you?"

"It was this or for the next three years we wouldn't see each other."

Maia felt the ring turning around on her finger as she fiddled with it. She studied it for the first time, "It's…lovely, but rather big isn't it?" Maia meant it had big stones, making the ring look ostentatious on her finger. She took it off and started to read the inscription.

"It can be sized, but there's something I need to tell—" House stopped as he watched her mouth drop open and the flames shoot out of her eyes.

"_Stacy-To Eternity and Beyond!"_Maia clenched her teeth, "_What? You gave me Stacy's…is this Stacy's engagement ring? Were you engaged?"_

House winced and swallowed, "Well, it was too late to get you your own ring and I realized she had given it back to me when we broke up. It's a $19,000 ring; diamonds have all the right C's. I figure we could take the diamonds and transfer them into a ring for you."

She could hardly speak, but her blood pressure had shot up to 150/90, causing the alarm at the desk to go off. The nurses rushed in and House shooed the out, "It's under control, move along, nothing to see here, move along, mind the gap."

She shook her head and in a overly controlled voice said, "That was tacky, even for you. This ring was given to a woman that you told you would spend the rest of your life with. It's a ring that symbolizes eternity, infinity…that your love would survive anything. And you give me the relics of that? I want a divorce."

"Annulment…you want an annulment." He motioned with a finger through a circle formed by his thumb and index finger, "We haven't consummated the marriage yet."

She smiled wickedly, "Who says?"

"Well, it just happened and if I walk out…there are witnesses that I haven't been in all that long or at least long enough to do the deed…"

"Then come over here, climb in bed, consummate this marriage so I can divorce your ass."

"No! There's no telling what you'll do to me if I get in that bed. Give me the ring, you can't wear it during surgery tomorrow anyway. I'll get you a proper ring. It will be done before you come out of anesthesia tomorrow."

She sighed and glared. Removing the ring, she put it in his palm and closed his fist around it. "One more chance to get this right or you're the next Paul McCartney."

He smiled and nodded.

"Now get going, I need some sleep before my surgery."

He walked over to kiss her, but stopped when she reached out and grabbed his balls in her hand. Neither of them moved. He bent over and she reached up to return the kiss, dropping his balls as she did. He got the message.

He whispered, "You know, now that your hand knows where they are, you could maybe add a little wrist action and we could practice the ejaculation part of the wedding night."

"Get!"

He shrugged and started to leave.

"Greg."

He turned to face her, "I do like the emerald cut diamonds on the two sides. The big pear Marquis diamond does nothing for me. You can sell it. Hint, hint."

He gave her a funny face and bowed.

Maia wasn't impressed with her wedding night, but she was impressed with the man she married, he was resourceful.


	29. Chapter 13 Wopsided

**Chapter 13**

**WOPSIDED**

Maia was looking at eight photos of men with olive complexion, dark eyebrows, black hair, similar eyes. She pulled out the photo of Joey Magione right away, "This is him."

Smithers and Quail nodded to each other acknowledging that Maia had picked the right person. Andy picked up the photos, "Good job Maia." He snickered, "How's married life?"

She looked at him puzzled, "You mean all 39.5 hours of it? It sucks. Greg has a patient which I guess trumps being a newlywed. I saw him _once_ as he ran by with his patient on a gurney. I got a curt nod. I swear, next time if he gives me just a nod, he's getting the rod…the one between my ring and index finger.'

Smithers laughed, "Wow! Someone is pissed!"

Maia, pouting at this point, nodded. "I want out of here. I'm bored and I want to be with my husband, even if he finds an infectious disease more exciting than me. I'm thinking about getting avian flu so that I'll get to see him." Then it hit her, when she got out of the hospital, where would the FBI take her? Maia turned to Andy, "Where do we go from here?"

Andy smiled and walked over to her bed, "Well, that's what we came to tell you. Joey's girlfriend came to us. She's informed us that it was her that set up the account in the Caymans. She knows the password to the account. We've tapped the account, retrieved a full accounting and the dates and numbers match our informant's deposition in which he states that the money was from an arms deal. We can use your testimony, but it only boosts the girlfriend's. It's not the only damning information and it means that killing you isn't going to help Bellinghere's case. Joey's girlfriend will have to go into the witness protection program, but you won't, they're not going to be interested in you. We'll give you an agent to guard you until the trial, but we won't need to put you into the witness protection program."

Maia started laughing, tears coming to her eyes. She reached over on the rolling tray and grabbed some Kleenex, "Oh my God! That is too funny. The reason we rushed a wedding was so Greg would be allowed to see me when I went into the program. I wonder what he'll say?"

Andy and Smithers started laughing too. Andy shook his head, "I don't want to be here when you tell him."

Maia shook her head, "I don't think he'll flinch. He'd never let me know he made a mistake."

Smithers leaned in, "Did you? Did you make a mistake, Maia?"

Maia looked at her and shrugged her shoulders, "Ask me when I've been married 48 hours."

There was some chuckling and then Smithers and Quail said goodbye. On the way out the door, they stopped by House's office.

House was in the office with the white board and his team. Andy opened the door, "Dr. House, I hate to interrupt, but when you get the chance you should get up to see Maia. She has news for you."

House turned white; he remembered the night when he took her from behind without a condom. But just as quickly, he realized that she had taken the morning after pills. In addition, it was too early for her to tell if she was pregnant. The news must be something else. He watched the agents walk off and sent the team out to do some labs. Grabbing his cane, he took off to see his wife.

He opened the door and without smiling, he walked in and over to the monitor. Her vitals were good. "You're stats look good."

She crossed her arms across her chest, "Where's my ring?"

House squirmed a little, "I had a patient come in and I've been busy-- you know, _saving a life._"

Maia crossed her arms, "A simple phone call or even a short visit would suffice."

"Maia, I don't have time to stand here and soothe your hurt ego. I promise to get you your own ring. Now what's the news? I have to get back to the lab."

"They have a better witness than me, they'll use my testimony, but it's not going to be as damning as what Joey's girlfriend is giving them. They don't need to put me into the witness protection program! I'll have an agent to guard me, but I won't have to be sequestered. When I get out of here, I can go home." She waited and watched carefully for his reaction. She saw him flinch; his eyes flashed slightly and grew wider in surprise.

"Isn't that good news?" he asked.

Maia chortled, "I guess it depends. The whole reason for the wedding was to allow you access to me if I had to go into protective custody. It looks like that isn't going to be necessary."

House narrowed his eyes, "What are you saying?"

"Just that, we could easily get that annulment now, start over, maybe date for awhile." She waited, hoping he'd be offended by the idea, declare his love for her.

House was quiet, having read something different into the suggestion. He thought it meant she had doubts. Finally he asked calmly, asking without inflection, "You want to get an annulment?"

The fact that he didn't immediately say no or try to dissuade her, struck to the quick. She sat up, looked blankly at the pink hospital blanket and then leaned forward, "You're having second thoughts about all of this, aren't you?" House shook his head, but Maia wasn't convinced. His head was saying no, but there were no words to reassure her. Maia leaned back and snickered. Closing her eyes, she put an arm up over her eyes, "Just go. If we say anything more, we're going to regret it. Come back after you've diagnosed your patient."

House realized how rash they had acted. The romantic in House felt as if he had done the right thing. The pure, analytical House, the one no longer under the pressure of a witness protection program killing his love life, was counting down all the reasons why marrying Maia was a stupid, impulsive and extremely illogical thing to do.

House went back to his patient and purposefully put up a wall between his feelings and the part of his brain he needed to do his job. He and his team stayed in the hospital all day and night, House sleeping on the floor, waiting for news on the labs they had run. Chase walked into the office early the next morning.

House lifted his head and looked at Chase, "What are you doing here?"

Chase looked down at House who was lying on the floor, "Your patient's biopsy from the exploratory surgery is back. It's a tumor on the pituitary gland. He has cancer."

House nodded, "That was an odd presentation."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'd like to submit a paper on the case. I'd co-author it with you. Don't worry, I don't expect you to help, but maybe one of your minions could give me a hand with some of the data."

House nodded, "Sounds good, as long as I don't have to do the typing. I guess I can go home now and get some sleep. How's Maia?"

"Maia? She was released yesterday afternoon. Her employer picked her up." Chase started chuckling, "You didn't know? Are you and Maia on the outs?"

Standing up, House snarled at Chase without answering him. He grabbed his helmet and keys, taking off for home on his motorcycle to get some sleep. He figured that since Maia had been gone over twelve hours without him knowing; he might as well take a nap before facing her. When he got home, he checked his voice mail, but there was nothing from Maia. Dead on his feet, House grabbed a piece of bread, a glass of water and went back to his bedroom. He plopped his body on the bed and within seconds was snoring.

House woke up and checked his voice mail, finding a message from Cuddy about a new patient. There was no voice mail from Maia. House called in and within minutes he was driving back to PPTH.

He worked another 18 hours straight before collapsing in his chair and putting his throbbing leg up on the ottoman in his office. Within minutes he was sleeping. House was in the middle of a dream just before being jostled awake by Wilson. In the dream, he and Maia were laying on a blanket in the middle of a grassy park holding each other, taking a nap after making love. He woke up to Wilson shaking his foot.

"House, go home."

He shook the sleep from his eyes, "What time is it?"

"It's seven. The patient is stable; the interferon is working; your team went home."

"Well, at least that narrows it down to just four diseases." House got up and grabbed his backpack, stuffing it full of odds and ends from off his desk.

Wilson saw that House was preoccupied, "How's things going with that waitress?"

House turned and gave Wilson a look of frustration. "Not well. She left the hospital without letting me know."

"So? Give her a call; ask her out."

"Do you think I should do that before or after the annulment."

Wilson laughed at the pathetic joke until he saw that House wasn't laughing. He quickly stopped laughing, "What are you talking about? Who's she married to?"

House frowned in frustration, "_Me you idiot, me."_

Wilson shook his head and rested his briefcase on the chair. "You've lost me. You and the waitress are…"

"…married. Usually you have to be married to get an annulment." House said, watching for his friend's reaction.

Wilson stepped back in shock, "When did you have time to get married? Between her surgeries and your patients, when did you two make it down to the courthouse to pull a license?"

"The FBI made all the arrangements, including renting a judge to come to the hospital."

House stood, looking at the very flustered Wilson, who had now removed the briefcase from the chair, plopping purposefully into it with his mouth gaping. "You're not joking. You married the waitress without even telling me?"

"I couldn't, the FBI didn't want anyone to know."

Wilson looked straight up as if he could find answers in the ether, "So this was a sham marriage arranged by the FBI for…for what purpose?"

House began to leave knowing that Wilson would follow, which he did. House stopped to call the elevator.

"House! Answer my question. Why did the FBI arrange your marriage to the waitress?"

"Maia, her name is Maia, not waitress. And they arranged it because I didn't want her to go into the witness protection program and then not be able to see her."

Wilson furred his brow and narrowed his eyes, "You married her so that you could continue to date her?"

"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"But now you need an annulment?

House was putting on his helmet and getting ready to start the motorcycle. Wilson was frustrated, "I'm coming over. You can't drop this bomb and then take off."

When they arrived back at the apartment, Wilson followed House inside, threw himself on the sofa and began his interrogation again. "So why did the FBI put you two together?"

House handed Wilson a beer, "Get the wax out of your ears. They arranged the wedding, not the marriage. Maia and I thought if we got married, they'd have to let me see her even if she went into a witness protection program."

Wilson closed his eyes to absorb what House was saying, "You essentially married her so you could continue to screw her if she had to go under cover? Do you have any feelings for this woman?"

He nodded, "I didn't marry her just to be able to screw her."

Wilson started to grin, "You have _feelings_ for this woman?"

"Maia…my wife's name is Maia."

Wilson's eyes grew wide and the grin wider, "My God! You really do care. Why are you getting an annulment?"

"It's pretty apparent that she wants one."

Wilson stopped grinning, "Why? What did you do?"

"What did I do? I didn't do anything. When the FBI told her they weren't going to whisk her away, she insinuated the only reason we got married was moot. She asked me if we should get an annulment, start dating."

"Well, you told her no, right? You told her you cared and wanted to make it work?"

House winced and looked away.

Wilson closed his eyes and shook his head, "Oh House, you _idiot!_ She was testing you, wanting to know if you were in it for the long haul."

House took a drink and frowned, "At that moment I wasn't sure and I saw that she wasn't sure either. Then she leaves without telling me, doesn't call or come home."

"Now what?"

"I did nothing wrong."

"Yeah, but you did nothing _right_ either. You need to admit that you're wrong." Wilson saw House was about ready to say something so he raised a hand up to stop him. "I know, you don't think you should apologize—"Wilson finished his beer, "House, you can be right or you can get your wife back."

House sneered, "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Then I guess you've made your choice." Wilson stood up. "It's a shame, you seemed a little on the happy side lately." Wilson opened the door, smiled and left.

House sat down and drank the rest of his beer. He toyed with the receiver to the phone, starting to dial and then hanging up a dozen or more times. He finally let it ring through. It rang twice and then he heard the familiar click.

"Hi! My name is Cali. What's yours?"

House felt the sound of her voice pour through him like a good whiskey. He wanted so much to hit the star, to talk to her like they used to, but now even that pleasure was gone."

There was a pause, "_Hello?_ My name is Cali, what's yours?"

He hung up.


	30. Chapter 14 Avalanche part 1

**Chapter 14**

**AVALANCHE**

Maia filled the papers out online, printed them and mailed them the week before Thanksgiving. _If he signs them, I should be able to get the annulment before the __new year_ She slipped them in the envelope and noted that tomorrow would be their three month anniversary. It made her shoulders ache. She called the attorney service, paid to have the documents served on House. Included was a short note.

_If you sign these where I put the post it—then I won't have to hire a lawyer to go through formal proceedings. The court will grant it outright. Please sign and put them in the envelope addressed to me. I'll file them. Maia._

Maia's hands were shaking. She realized that some of the powder had gotten on envelope. She took her finger, swiped it across the envelope and rubbed her gums. Maia, put the documents into the envelope and ran them literally to the mailbox on the corner. As she let the envelope slip into the mailbox, she felt a piece of her dying. Losing House had been the biggest blow of all.

* * *

Wilson stopped asking House after a month went by. The answer to his questions about whether or not he had called Maia were met with silence or some form of no. Apparently there was a stalemate, two stubborn people who both needed to be 'right' refused to just say what the other needed to hear, starting with 'I love you.'

Wilson knocked on House's door, but for the longest time there was no response. Wilson opened the door with his key and found a familiar sight, House passed out with an empty glass of whiskey next to him. This was the second time in a week that Wilson had found House too drunk to respond to his knock. Things were not looking good.

Wilson checked House to make sure he was okay and then sat down to watch television. Around nine he woke House up. House, still slightly drunk sat up and rubbed his face. He got up went to the bathroom and came back.

Wilson sighed, "Okay? Why the bender this time?"

House looked at him, his eyes glassy, speech slightly slurred, "It's my three month anniversary. She sent me an anniversary present."

House threw Wilson the brown envelope on the table. Inside were annulment papers. Wilson wanted to slap House. House obviously didn't want the annulment or he would have had the papers drawn up himself. But, he couldn't bring himself to talk to her, to bring up the subject.

"What are you going to do?"

"What I do best. Make her life miserable."

"And just how do you plan on doing that?"

"Not giving her what she wants."

Wilson shook his head in frustration, "House, sign the damn documents and get this over with. You two need to stop this and move on."

House poured a glass of whiskey and took a drink.

* * *

Thanksgiving came and went, Christmas too. Impatient, Maia realized that if she wanted an annulment, she was going to have to hire an attorney. But she didn't have the money. The cheapest one wanted a $2,000 retainer and she no longer had her little nest egg that she had built up.

Maia kept to herself, the case against Bellinghere had been plea bargained back in October so she no longer needed guarding. Having the case go away was a Godsend. She hated having someone following her night and day, especially someone as dull and boring as Special Agents Lionel Fitch and Candace Miller. It had driven her nuts.

It soon became apparent that the only choice she had was to go over and badger House to sign the documents. She took off one snowy Tuesday, dressed in her oversized winter jacket, and went to PPTH. She was wearing a skirt and blouse because all of her pants were dirty. The black tights helped keep her legs warm, but she was still cold; she was always cold.

Maia looked in the office, but he wasn't there. The white board was filled with writing and there was a young man sitting at the table next to it. "Excuse me, do you know where I might find Dr. House?"

The dark haired man looked up, "He doesn't take patients directly; you have to be referred."

"No, I'm a friend. I stopped by to say hi."

The young man looked stunned, "_Friend?_ You're a _friend_ of House?"

Maia shrugged her shoulders, "Do you know where he's at?"

"Wilson came by, I suspect they went to get something to eat."

Maia nodded, turning to make her way down to the cafeteria.

Wilson was waiting for House to get back from the bathroom. He looked over at the door and saw a vaguely familiar woman. She was looking around; her eyes finally landed on him. As she walked over, it wasn't until she got up to the table that Wilson realized it was the waitress, House's wife.

"You're Dr. Wilson, right?"

Wilson nodded, "Maia?"

She stuck out her hand and Wilson shook it, noting how boney it was and how emaciated she looked.

"I'm looking for Greg. I, uh, need to talk to him about something."

Wilson nodded behind her, "He's behind you."

She turned and saw House making his way to the table. He stopped, looked her up and down and continued over.

"Well, you look like the darling of Darfur. I thought the concentration camp look was out and curves were in these days." He sat down in front of his plate of food. "What do you want?"

She closed up her jacket to hide her body, but her legs were like toothpicks and the large jacket just made her look like a fudgsicle, "Sign the papers. Get out of my life"

"Papers? What papers?"

She showed him a smug smile, "I knew you'd pull that, so I brought another set for you to sign." She pulled the documents out of the envelope and handed them to him.

Wilson started to get up, "I'll let you two talk."

House barked at him, "Sit down. She's leaving." House looked up at her, "I'll have to look them over, give them to my lawyer to review. I'll get back to you."

She hissed, "Greg, don't be an ass. Let's correct this mistake and move along."

He said nothing, but looked away from her, somewhat hurt that she wouldn't sit or make some gesture of contrition.

She sighed, shook her head and turned to leave. House jumped up and grabbed her by the wrist. He turned her around and looked into her eyes. Her pupils were dialated and he could feel that her pulse was elevated.

He said quietly, "Maia, how bad is your habit? How are you supporting it?"

She turned her head away, but he wouldn't let go.

"You're killing yourself. Don't do this. Get some help."

"Oh, fuck you. What do you care?" She wrenched her arm out of his clutches and ran out of the cafeteria.

House went back to the table and sat down. He looked at his food, but couldn't eat. Wilson sat quietly for a minute before leaning over, "She's in bad shape. She must be using again."

House snarled, "Jesus Christ, don't you think I know? I'm not an idiot." House was quiet.

"Was she using when you two got married?"

House shook his head.

"So this started after the two of you had your falling out?"

House didn't bother to acknowledge the obvious. He grabbed the documents, took out a pen and began to sign them. "I don't want a coke whore for a wife. She's not my problem now."

Wilson shook his head sadly, "House, House, you stupid, stupid idiot."

* * *

"Maia, you're a good customer, but you already owe me $500. I can't help you sweetie. Come back when you have the money." Gino Matuchi patted her hand.

"Gino, please, you know I always pay my debts. I had a really, really bad day, I need some snow. Come on. Please?"

Gino eyed her up and down. Maia had never looked this bad, had never spent this much on snow in her life. She was going down fast. He might as well make as much off of her as he could before she stroked out. "I tell you what. My friend, Frank, he does a little trade now and then. He's got himself a group of gals in your situation. You could do some work for him, say, one or two nights a week and he'd keep you happy. He's good to his girls, makes sure they have plenty of blow. You could keep your day job and just work the weekends." He watched her reaction. He had seen that face before, the one of utter despair. He knew she wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but the desire for a hit was too much. Gino knew that Maia would say yes, maybe not right then, but soon, "Look, I'll give you a little taste, but you think it over. Here's his card. I'll let him know to expect a call from you." Gino handed her the card and watched her boney fingers shake as she grabbed it and put it in her pocket.

He pulled out a square, opened it up and, with a razor, pulled out enough for two lines. It was one hit. It would probably last her an hour, maybe long enough for her to get home and fall asleep when she came down. He gave her the straw and Maia looked at it. Gino felt sorry for her; she wanted so much to say no. But she grabbed the straw and bent over, inhaling the powder in two goes. She patted her nose and removed the residue, nodded at Gino, then left.

Maia inhaled deeply when the coke hit her brain. The first sensations always felt like a hammer hitting her temples. The pain was palpable. Then the high kicked in and she was in control. She could control anything, do anything, feel what she wanted to feel. Right now she wanted to feel in control.

She didn't have money for the bus back to her neighborhood so she started walking, fast. Maia could feel the drug coursing through her, making her heart race, her thoughts wild and her feet fly. She wanted to be home before she came down, before the headache set in, the depression, the hunger for more. It was cold out, but she didn't feel it. She never did when she was high. It was a good thing because she passed the bank and the thermometer said that it was twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. She still had a good three miles to walk before she got home. She looked at her bare hands, they were a bright red from the cold. _Put them in your pocket or you'll get frostbite._ She stuck them inside her pocket and continued to walk, realizing she was perpendicular to Baker Street. Maia snuck a glance down the road, but didn't see his car.

_He must be out._ _I still have a key. He is my husband. He hasn't done anything to support me. He owes me. We are married. He owes me._

Maia took a detour down the street, ducking into the apartment building and out of the cold. She didn't knock, she just took out the key and went inside. She felt a rush of feelings. She looked around the apartment where she had been so happy.

_Not happy, less miserable. That's what he said, less miserable. I was never happy, just less miserable. Fuck, where would he keep money? He has to have some lying around. _

Maia began her search, pulling out drawers, grabbing change, checking the pockets of his coats and suit jackets. Occasionally, she'd find a dollar or two. But after looking for half an hour, she had only netted $17.38.

_He owes me!_

Maia looked at the wall of instruments, wondering if she could get one of the guitars on the bus now that she had enough to catch one. She pulled them each down and weighed them in her hands. The old classic Fender was the lightest. She could hock it at the pawn shop. She looked around

_What else could I pawn? He owes me!_

She couldn't carry much more so she started to rummage through his night stand for more cash. She found a nice watch.

_7:00 pm…Christ, it's already 7:00? Man, it's getting __late,__ the coke will wear off soon._

She continued to dive through the drawer. She was about ready to shut the drawer when saw it…the little black felt envelope. Smiling to herself, she pulled it out and inside was the ring. _Ah yes, the gaudy diamond ring with the inscription to Stacy._ _The love of his life._ _I see he kept it. I don't see any signs of a ring for me._ Maia drew in a breath when she realized that he hadn't followed through with his promise to give her a ring of her own. He hadn't even bothered to sell Stacy's ring. Maia palmed the ring. _This will keep me out of the clutches of Frank for a few months. This will get me high for four, maybe five months. He owes me. I took the bullet for him. I was willing to die for him. _She laughed to herself. _Jesus, I can't believe what a fool I was._

Maia looked at the guitar, debating on whether to take it. She had the ring. The guitar would be hard to lug across town.

_If I need it, I'll come back for it._


	31. Chapter 14 Part 2

**Snowmelt Chapter 14 Part 2**

House looked out the blinds and saw that it was dark already. He had been engrossed in the newest NEJM article he had "co-authored" with Chase. It was well written and made them both look impressive. The clock on the computer said it was 7:00. Turning the computer off, he began to pack up.

Sitting on the seat next to him were the papers. He had thought about mailing them, but quickly decided against that. He wanted to see her again. What he would say, he wasn't sure. He just wanted to hand her the papers in person, let her know that he was over her, see her face when he called her bluff.

He pulled up and found a handicap spot next to the café. It was bitterly cold outside and he was glad he only had a short walk to get inside the warm and yeasty smelling bakery. He pulled his ski cap off as he looked around for Maia. Starting to walk back to the stairs, House jerked to a stop when Bear came out of the office. Bear gave him a scowl of disapproval.

"What do _you_ want?" Bear barked.

House kept his voice calm, "I came to talk to Maia and give her something."

Bear saw papers in House's hands, "She's not here. Give them to me and I'll make sure she gets them."

House shook his head, "No, I need to give them to her myself."

Bear growled, "So you can gloat over your handiwork?"

House cocked his head and looked puzzle. "I don't know what you mean."

Bear nodded for him to join him in the office, away from the ears of the staff. House followed him inside.

"Have you seen her?"

House nodded.

Bear clenched his teeth, "Then you know she's using again, thanks to you."

House let out a sharp laugh, "_Me?_ I haven't done anything."

"Yeah, I know. She came home from the hospital depressed. At first she just cried all the time. Then she tried alcohol, but she didn't like the weight she was putting on. I finally found out one night, after her fifth glass of wine, that you had convinced her to marry you, told her you loved her. After the "I do's" you had some time to think; you decided it was a mistake to get married. You ignored her and didn't even bother to give your wife a lift home from the hospital."

"I didn't know she'd been released."

Bear nodded, "Precisely. You're a doctor in the hospital where she's a patient and you can't even check up on her. Well, she eventually stopped going to NA and within a week of missing her meetings, I noticed she was talking faster, running around rather than walking. Her nose was red, her eyes were dilated. It didn't take a genius to know she was using."

House wanted to make a snide remark, but realized he wouldn't get any more information if he did. "What did you do?"

"I tried. I really tried. I got her sponsor to come over. Some of the NA group came and we did an informal intervention. She made promises, but we all knew it wasn't going to stop. She told me she didn't have the money to go to rehab. I looked into it for her and she was right. A stay in a rehab center costs about $4,000 a week. I've tried to look out after her, but it's getting worse. You saw how she looks. She's fried. If she doesn't turn it around soon, she'll be dead. She's a strong lady, but losing you was the last push over the edge. Maia feels that if a piece of shit like you can't even love her, then what does it matter?"

House listened, his stomach churning and his leg aching. He took a Vicodin and then sat quietly. Looking over at Bear he asked, "Where is she now?"

Bear shrugged his shoulders. "She walks a lot to save her money for her drugs. She's living hand to mouth. I try to get her to eat, but she's never hungry. If she didn't live upstairs, she'd be out on the streets, or worse, a hooker somewhere. She still does her job here, but I watch the till, make sure she's not stealing. So far, she hasn't taken anything, but I doubt that will last long. When she does, I'll have to toss her out."

House stood up. He looked at Bear and could see how much this man loved Maia. Not sexually, but as his friend. Maia was lucky to have him. He was a constant, someone who cared deeply about her welfare.

"I can't help her. I'm here to give her the annulment; I've signed the papers."

"Oh great, that'll be the nail in the coffin. Thanks a lot. You'll leave and we'll get to bury her while you go home to your cushy home and job. You really are a jerk. You don't have an ounce of love in you, do you? I don't even think you have an ounce of love for yourself. You're hollow, a shell. Well, you can stick around and watch as you sign her death warrant, or you can give the papers to me and I'll be the bearer of bad news. However, something tells me you'd get off giving them to her."

House thought about tossing the documents to Bear and running. But he held on to them, "I'll do it. I _should_ do it. I won't let you do my dirty work." He started to walk out of the office, "And for the record, I wanted to rub it in her face. I thought _she_ had left _me_. I thought I was the injured party. I'll give her the papers in person."

* * *

House opened the door to the office just as someone dashed by. He looked and saw Maia rushing up the stairs, oblivious to him and everything around her. Bear stepped out in time to see her legs running up the stairs. He looked at House to see what he was going to do. House looked down, away from Bear's judgment, then made his way to the back, towards the stairs.

Climbing the stairs slowly, papers in the same hand as his cane, House wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he knew he would be gentle when he gave them to her. He looked through the open doorway and saw her pacing around looking for something. She seemed almost manic, mumbling to herself. Her nose and hands were bright red from the cold. He was pretty sure her toes must be the same. She was high.

"Maia."

She snapped her head up and looked at him. He wasn't quite sure, but she seemed afraid of him. She backed up.

"Maia? What's going on?"

Maia continued to back up, her eyes wide and frightened, "I only did it because you owe me."

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "I owe you what?"

She kept searching his eyes for something. She looked down at his hand and saw the papers. Her face dropped and the blood drained out. She was white. Taking a deep breath, she fumbled her way to a wood back chair. When she sat down, her whole body shook and then slumped like a child that had been banished to the corner.

He thought he might cry. The pain was too much. Seeing her so fragile, so defeated, made him want to run and never look back.

Her voice was a whisper, "You can leave them on the table."

Hestared at her, but she wouldn't look up. Sheturned her head away from him. He threw the documents on the table andstarted to leave. He got to the door and looked back. She was staring at him, horror on her face, her eyes marked by the misery she was feeling. She looked away again.

"Maia?"

She refused to look up, but he saw tear drops falling from her face onto her hands.

"Maia, what do I owe you?"

No response.

He was aggravated, "_What do I owe you?" _His voice came out louder than he had intended, causing her to jump.

She reached into her pocket and threw something at him. Coins fell around him, dollar bills drifted to the floor and a black felt envelope fell at his feet.

She stood up and screamed, "_Nothing! You owe me nothing! Take it and just get out. __Out!"_

House reached down and picked up the envelope with the ring. He went over and handed it back to her. She looked up, eyes red and lower lip quivering. "You're right, this does belong to you. I gave it to you. I want you to have it. But please, use it to go to rehab. Don't use this to kill yourself."

Her voice was whispery, "Greg, take it. I can't. There's nothing left inside of me. I'll use it to get high. Take it with you. Don't let me have it."

"You must be broke if you're resorting to looting my place. Do you owe your dealer?"

She refused to look at him and started sobbing. She nodded.

"How are you going to pay him? Did you pay for this high with something from my apartment?"

Looking down, Maia shook her head. "No, I didn't raid your place until after I saw him. I owe $500 now. But he offered me a job. I can make it up."

"Job? What kind of job? Are you quitting your job here?"

She lifted her voice, hoping he wouldn't catch on, "No. It's a night job. Not a day job. I can keep both."

House snickered, "A night job? There's only one kind of night job that will pay enough money to keep you in coke, Maia." He shook his head, and bent down to catch her eye, "What are you doing?" He put his hand on her chin and pulled it forward, making her look in his eyes, "Don't do this."

Maia wrestled her chin from his hand, looking down at her feet, "Don't worry about me."

He nodded reluctantlyand walked to the door.

"Greg?"

He turned and looked at her. Her hair was straw-like, awry, her mascara smeared. He wondered how her legs, as skinny as they were, could hold her body up. "Yeah?"

She gave him the best smile she could muster, "Be happy… or at least be less miserable. For both of us, okay? It's too late for me, but not for you."

He gave her a slight smile and started down the steps. He could smell the yeast from the bread baking for the morning sandwiches. It smelled so good, yet he had no appetite. He felt overwhelmed with sorrow and hopelessness.

When he had seen her this morning, he hadn't realized how bad it really was. He thought he wanted her to feel his pain, feel more miserable than him.

_Be careful what you wish for…isn't that what they say? I should have seen this coming. It's what I'm doing with alcohol. We're a pair. Did I cause it? What was it she said? I couldn't make her happy, only she could make herself happy? Maybe I couldn't make her happy, but I didn't leave her with much to work with. If Bear is right, I could have prevented this with one call. I could have told her how much she meant to me and she wouldn't be taking up 'night jobs' to score coke. Christ, a night job. She needs rehab. __$4000 a week?_

House walked through the restaurant and just as he reached for the door he froze. _Will you love her, comfort her, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor her at all times, and be faithful to her?_ House shivered. _It's just words. I mean it was a vow made to a mythical spiritual being. _He took a deep breath, looking outside into the night. _No, it was a vow you made to her and when you said it, you meant it. What the fuck happened to you? Are you so immature you can't hand her the olive branch? She needs help. You are still married until the papers are filed. Married, married, married. _It hit him like a ton of bricks._ What an idiot! Of course! That's it! _He turned and limped as fast as his cane would let him up the stairs. Maia was laying in a fetal position, holding a pillow.

She looked up when he burst inside, "Greg?"

He grabbed the annulment papers off the table and ripped them into shreds. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her off the couch, "Maia, you're still my wife. No annulment until you go through rehab."

"Greg, don't you understand? I _can't_ afford it."

"Yes you can. You're my wife and you're entitled to it on my medical insurance. Pack your bag, I'm taking you to rehab now." He gave her a little push in the direction of her closet.

She shook her head, "There's no guarantee it will work."

"I figure I can put you through rehab this once. We'll get the annulment afterwards. If you relapse, then you're on your own."

She stared, "Why? Why don't you run? Why are you doing this for me? Why?"

"Will you love her, comfort her, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, honor her at all times, and be faithful to her?"

She closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead, "I know that you didn't mean that. It's just a ritual, you don't have to honor it. I don't think you're a bad person because you're walking out the door. I think you're a _smart person."_

He shrugged his shoulders, "Just call me dumbass then. Get ready, I'm taking you down now to detox you and get you into rehab. Just don't bend over while you're packing, I can't get an annulment if we consummate the marriage."

She chuckled and went to the closet to get her bag.

CHECK OUT THIS C2 COMMUNITY SOME O/C WRITERS CREATED: House and His Outside Loves Strong Women Who Give Him a Run for His Money


	32. Chapter 15 Rehab is for Quitters

**Snowmelt Chapter 15**** Part 1**

**Rehab is for Quitters**

"Wife?" The woman behind the counter eyed House with suspicion. But she reviewed the documentation and concluded that, the emaciated woman shaking in the corner was, indeed, his wife. Phone calls were made to insurance hotlines, documents reviewed and faxed. Around midnight Maia was ensconced in a bed, asleep, on the fourth floor of PPTH.

The on-duty physician's assistant warned House, "This is a relapse. She got off it by herself the first time, but people who relapse tend to need more intensive support during withdrawal and maintenance. I suspect the doctors will let her go through withdrawals here for the first ten days. Then we'll send her to our sister rehab center in Reston, Virginia for ten to 24 weeks."

House jerked his head back, "Twenty-four weeks?"

The man nodded, "Dr. House, she'll be off the drugs and cope pretty well for the first ten days. It's the next two months that are the most challenging, the lethargy, depression, dealing with feelings of guilt and unworthiness. She's going to want the coke to make her feel energetic, able to face life again. We need to keep her in a safe environment during that period."

House exhaled and looked at the clock. He was tired and wanted to go home to bed. He turned and started to leave.

"Dr. House, she's lucky you brought her in. In her state, I'd have given her two maybe three weeks before her heart gave out or she had a major stroke. She's lucky to have you."

House shook his head solemnly, "No she isn't."

Wilson popped into his office, "There's a rumor floating around the hospital that Gregory House is married, to a coke addict."

House looked up and took his glasses off, "That's not news to you.'

"Not to me, but the fact that the cat is out of the bag is big news. What happened? I hear you got her into rehab."

"I remembered that as my wife she has substantial medical benefits."

"That's right! Wow, so what happened to the annulment?"

"On hold. I told her that there would be no annulment until she went through rehab on my dime."

"My God, House. That was generous of you. Could it be that you want to try again? Make it work between you two?"

"No, I just figured it wasn't coming out of my pocket, so why not throw her a bone."

Wilson, smiling, obviously not convinced, chuckled, "So the annulment is on as soon as she's clean and sober. That makes sense. Let's get her healthy and yank the carpet out from under her so we can watch her spiral down the stairs again."

House sat back and sneered, "Your drivel isn't going to work. The only advice I'm going to need from you for the next six months is how to keep away from her feminine wiles."

Wilson shook his head, "You want me to keep you from copulating with your wife?"

"Precisely. I can't consummate the relationship or I have to divorce her and it will take twice as long and cost twice as much."

"There are some tasks I can help you with, but keeping you from nailing free ass is a task that I believe is beyond my abilities. Perhaps you need Cuddy or Cameron for that. See you later House."

Wilson left and House frowned. _It's not really that big a deal, she'll be in rehab for six months and when she comes out, we'll get the annulment. When am I going to find time or a place to screw her?_

* * *

Cuddy crept into Wilson's office. "He married her? He married a crack head?"

"Coke, not crack. Apparently she doesn't freebase. And yes, he married her months ago. But they haven't consummated the marriage."

Cuddy's mouth dropped open, "House hasn't had sex with his wife? Are you kidding?"

"No, they were going to get an annulment, but she needs rehab. If he screws her, he has to go through a divorce which will require lawyers, more time, more money."

"So this marriage was just to get medical attention for her?"

"No, I think they both love each other. Well, I'm pretty sure he loves her."

Cuddy threw her hands up in frustration, "Then why the annulment?"

Wilson laughed, "There won't be an annulment. I see copulation in the near future. It's the only way House can prolong the marriage until he can think of a way for _her to beg him_ to stay in it."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, "Oh my God. Why doesn't he just tell her he wants to make it work?"

"House? Put his emotions on the line first? Ha. The simple answer is -- rejection. If she says it first then he doesn't risk being rejected. He just has to manipulate it out of her. Problem is, in some respects, she's a carbon copy of House. Getting it out of her might not be that easy."

"Oh God, they deserve each other."

* * *

House had been discouraged by the counselors from visiting Maia for the first 48 hours, which didn't bother him because he had a patient. On the third day he went up to talk to the doctor. He waited in the waiting area, nervous and worried. He heard someone call his name.

"Dr. House?"

He looked up to see a beautiful woman, black hair, deep brown eyes, about six inches shorter than him. She was in a lab coat with, "Dr. Payson" written on the pocket. House stood up and shook her extended hand.

"I'm Dr. Payson, your wife's therapist and doctor."

"Are you a shrink?"

"Psychiatrist and Pain Management Specialist. I was assigned your wife's case because no one else would take on the case knowing you were …let's just say, knowing that they'd have to interact with you. I'm new, so I drew the short straw. What is it about you that makes grown men cringe?"

House liked her bluntness and knew that Maia would too, "I'm honest and I don't have a governor on my mouth."

She nodded, "Oh, so politically correct or not, it will come out of your mouth."

"Usually."

"Well, Maia has signed a Hippa release, so I can talk to you about her case. Why don't you come back to my office?"

House followed the leggy brunette and couldn't help but admire the curve of her long legs, the gentle sway in her walk. He wondered how the male patients managed to concentrate on anything but her. He sat down and she closed the door.

"Dr. House, Maia gave me this to give to you." She handed him an envelope.

He opened the large envelop and pulled out the papers. They were signed annulment papers. There was a note with them,

_Dear Greg,_

_I don't want you to think that I would take advantage of your kindness, so I have given you your 'get out of jail free' papers. Anytime you need to file, you're free to do so. I don't want your life held up because of my folly. All you need to do is sign them and file them with a check for the filing fees. You should get final papers back in a month. Usually, there is no requirement for a hearing as long as both parties have filled out and signed the papers. _

_So, if you meet someone, get tired of footing the medical bills or just get tired of being married, please file the forms. I won't think any less of you. You've already put me on the right path and I have so much to thank you for._

_Take care, if you feel up to it, please drop me a line from time to time or call. Remember to try and be less miserable._

_Your Faithful Maia_

House looked up, "Do you know what this is?" He held up the papers.

She smiled sweetly and nodded, "It's her way of letting you know how much you mean to her."

"Annulment papers? I'm supposed to feel good that my wife wants an annulment?"

"Oh, Dr. House, from what I hear, you're smarter than that. She's trying to give you what she thinks you want or need. It's a demonstration of her appreciation. She never asked for the annulment, she just wants to make sure that she's not standing in your way of happiness. I guess you don't get too many people being selfless on your behalf do you?"

House said nothing as he stuffed the papers back into the envelope. "So what happens now? How is she?"

"She's doing much better, better than most. Since you ordered the rapid detox, she's ready to go to the next stage. She's not healthy, still very anemic; she weighed in at 99 pounds. But she made it through the first phase and did well. I think she really wants to get straight. But after hearing her story, I don't think there's much for her to go back to when she gets out. She owes her dealer $500 that she doesn't have. He's ready to pimp her out to pay it off and to keep her hooked. The little money she had saved went to drugs. Right now if we send her back out in to the real world, she'll relapse. I'd like to send her to our facility in Reston, Virginia. In light of her progress she won't need to stay more than 120, probably 90 days. But, it's up to you. The insurance will pay for the first 96 hours of her stay in Reston, after that, they pay 80. You pay the 20 until you pay $2,000. They'll pick up the coverage for everything after that. She doesn't have $2,000, but you do."

House rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Of course. I'll just put it on her tab. Find out who she owes the $500 to and I'll pay that off too."

"I can't do that, you'd be supporting an illegal activity and I'd be aiding you. I will have her send you another note."

"Don't I get to see her before she goes?"

Payson winced, trying to think of what harm it might do. "You're an addict too, aren't you?"

"I have a pain problem. I take Vicodin to ease the pain."

"You're addicted. I understand the difference between your addiction and Maia's, but you still require the Vicodin, don't you?"

"What has this got to do with seeing Maia?"

"It's not normally a good idea to let spouses see each other if they're both addicts and one of them isn't getting treatment. But, your circumstances are unique, I think we could allow you to see her. I'll make arrangements. She'll be leaving early tomorrow. How late are you staying tonight?"

"I'll be here all night, I've got a problem with a patient."

"Okay, when she wakes up, I'll give you a call." Payson stood up along with House, "You know, if I had gone through that she has in the year, I think I'd be on something too. She's pretty tough despite it all."

House nodded as they walked to the door.

"If you ever decide to address your pain problem, let me know. I'd like to help you out."

House turned his head sideways, "Why?"

"You're joking? If I could get the great Gregory House off of Vicodin, my cache would go through the roof!"

He chuckled and left the department.

**_Dear Readers, You're almost done with the story! Only one or two more posts. I hope that you have enjoyed it. Please leave me a comment and I hope that you read my next story. Thanks again for reading. Gorblimey2 aka Kim Brogan_**


	33. Chapter 15 Part 2

**Snowmelt Chapter 15 Part 2**

"Dr. House, this is the duty nurse in rehab. Dr. Payson asked me to call you when your wife woke up. Unfortunately, we had a plumbing leak in the visitor area. I've sent your wife down to the cafeteria area with one of our orderlies. She's waiting for you down there."

House was groggy, he had been sleeping in his chair, "It's 1:30 am? Is the cafeteria still open?"

"The cafeteria is closed, but not the area by the vending machines, she's there."

"Okay."

House went pee and then took off for the cafeteria. He felt a little anxious, wondering what she would say or what it would be like to see her. He walked through the corridor, saw the doors to the cafeteria locked shut and continued another ten feet to the cafeteria annex. It was a large overflow area with vending machines for the graveyard shift to use. No one was in the annex except an orderly sleeping in one of the booths and Maia sitting in plastic chair slightly back from the table. She looked small and frail, her hair pulled back with a hair band. The t-shirt was the same green as the knee-length skirt she had on. Her shoes were hospital slippers. Ironically, music was playing over the cafeteria speakers. It was Eric Clapton's, "Cocaine."

She looked up and swallowed. Her eyes were normal and her face scrubbed. House thought she looked like a schoolgirl on the first day of school. He walked up and leaned on his cane, looking down at her he studied her face. She was anxious too.

"How are you feeling?"

She gave him a lopsided smile, "Better. The headache is just a dull roar now. I'm not as jittery. How are you?"

"Fine. When do you leave?"

"6:00 am. Greg, thank you. Thank you so much for this. I promise to pay you back. I'm good at paying people back."

"Talk about paying back, who's your dealer? I'll pay that and put it on your tab. You don't want to pay mafia interest rates."

She looked up sheepishly, "Gino Matuchi. You can find him at the Foxy Nyph."

House nodded.

"I feel stupid, putting you through this. Did you get the envelope?"

He nodded again.

"I want you to know that you can file those anytime you want. I won't hold it against you. If I have to end my treatment early so that you can get the annulment, don't hesitate. I'll call you as soon as I'm out of treatment and you can file."

She looked so earnest, so desperate to take care of him,that House had to look away. He nodded, "I'll file it when you call."

They were quiet. She stood up, only a few feet from him. "I'm so sorry."

House smiled, realizing that the overhead speaker was playing, "Back to the Island." He hesitated at first, but then took a chance. Reaching out a hand, he took her wrist, pulling her close to him. Slipping an arm around Maia, he started to sway to the music. House took a few steps. She followed. They began to dance a slow, sad, sensual dance, her head on his chest, his arm around her back, slowly rubbing her body underneath her t-shirt.

_But the time is past for living in a dream world__Lying to myself, can't make that scene__Of wondering if you love me or just making a fool of me,__Well I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island_

Maia held on to him as if she was drowning and he was a life raft. He placed his lips on the top of her head, smelling the jasmine fragrance of her shampoo. She felt like a bag of bones in his arms. House wished he could keep her with him, keep her safe. But he knew that would be foolish; he hadn't done a very good job of it in the past. He closed his eyes and continued to sway to the music, holding her body tight, until the song was over.

_Well all the fun has died, It's raining in my heart__I know down in my soul I'm really __gonna__ miss you__But it had to end this way with all the games we played__Well I hope you understand, I just had to go back to the island._

House looked at the sleeping orderly and picked Maia up in one arm, carrying her like a child half on the shoulder of his left side. He and his cane limped out to the hall where he started looking in the different doors.

"Greg? What are you doing?" She was wiggling to get down, "Where are we going?"

He threw one open and smiled. It was the linen closet about eight feet wide by seven feet deep. He started pulling towels and sheets down on the floor and then gently dropped Maia on the floor. He closed the door and lowered himself to the floor where they laid on a layer of linens.

Worried that he was acting impulsively, Maia pushed away, shaking her head. "Greg, if we do this there's no grounds for an annulment."

"I'm not going to tell anyone it happened, are you?"

She grinned, "No, I guess not. This never happened."

He pulled her skirt up and helped her with her panties, pulling them over the boney curves of her hips. He watched and committed everything to memory, her smell, the sounds, the looks, her gestures, her breathing, her eyelashes. He was the camera, his eyes the shutter, his hand the scanner, his mind the memory card. He was going to breathe her in and keep it to remind him of what was good in this world.

The panties slid down over the wavy pubic hair, revealing the folds between her legs. He reached down as soon as they came into view and kissed her on the mound of Venus while his fingers continued to pull the little cotton briefs over her knees. She kicked them the rest of the way as she pulled at his shirt which he took off, yielding his t-shirt.

House pulled on her t-shirt and it came off quickly over her head revealing the simple cotton bra. Looking down her body, he winced at the bones, pronounced and ugly, pushing up through her skin.

"Please eat," he said.

She nodded as she fooled around with the buckles of his belt. He assisted her and then removed his jeans, leaving them in a huddle at the end of their feet. Maia slid her skirt off, leaving just the bra to remove. House, the expert at unlatching women's bras, flicked it and in one swoop her breasts were free. They were smaller as a result of the weight lost. But he was happy to see the pert, pink nipples peaking up at him. He kissed them one at a time and then smiled up at her.

It was somewhat cramped, but House was able to get his body in between her thighs and the door. He pushed a pile of towels under her sweet ass to prop it up, giving him a better angle.

He looked down, separating the folds with his fingers, finding his target before he dipped down with his tongue. Maia breathed in when she felt the tongue tease her clit in circles and then in broad strokes. He switched to a gentle sucking motion, making her squirm with the little previews of pleasure. She pushed her hips up into his tongue feeling the congestion of electricity forming in her groin.

"Greg, that feels so good. Oh, God, I missed this so much. It's, oh damn, oh, God, I'm coming…Christ this is fast. Oh, oh, oh!" She bucked up, making it hard for House to keep his tongue concentrated where it needed to be, but he managed to keep the rhythm, driving the orgasm through her body in a current of ecstasy. He wanted to watch her face, her body, but he didn't dare lift his head from its current position. She finally pulled back, signaling that she was over the crest and now reaching discomfort. House climbed quickly up her white body, needing to enter her before he exploded all over her abdomen. Picking up a leg at the crook of her knee, he spread her further, making it easy to enter. He guided himself in and pushed as deep as she could take him. Not moving for several seconds, he let himself feel her, capture in his mind what she felt like, what it sounded like, what she tasted like.

Maia thought that something might be wrong. But then she saw that he was smiling, his eyes closed. She watched him slowly open his eyes, the blue piercing into her heart, her soul. He started slowly, smiling down as he drilled in and out of her. He grabbed one of her breasts and took it in his mouth, tickling her nipple with his tongue until she giggled. He pulled up and shook his head.

"You're so beautiful." As he spoke, he adjusted his angle and started pumping faster, harder, with a desire to own all of her. He clenched his teeth as he felt his balls contract and the climax shoot through his shaft and up his torso. Everything was on fire; he was dizzy as he ejaculated into her over and over. It felt as if the orgasm wasn't going to end. Each thrust brought another wave of pleasure. Just as it started to leave, Maia gave one last thrust, milking the last ejaculation out of him along with the final wave of pleasure. His breath caught and he looked down at her and chuckled.

"Oh, you're good…that last move. That was good."

She giggled, "I hoped you'd like it."

He caught the curve of her smile and noted it along with her voice, it was lower, huskier from the sex. He reached down and kissed her, letting his tongue explore her mouth. He devoured the memory of it.

She didn't know that he was doing this, memorizing the essence of her. She just knew that he was gentle, caring and kind to her while they lay in each other's arms. He stroked her hair, brushed over her breasts and down her abdomen, sending chills and goosebumps over her body. His eyes roamed all over her body, finding a wayward freckle, a tiny mole, the bullet scar. After he had memorized her, he grabbed her up into his arms and held her as if she were the only thing in the world worth saving from a fire.

Maia was overwhelmed. It felt so good, so much like he was in love with her. But they had been down this path before and it had ended poorly. She wanted him to say it to her. Tell her that this was real, not just some fantasy interpretation of what love is. But he said nothing, not validating her feelings, so she said nothing in return. She was afraid he'd laugh if she said the three words to him.

They were silent, still savoring each other's body, the warmth, the smell of musk, sweat, sex, shampoo, aftershave and cleaning supplies in the corner. House had his arm draped over her breasts, his groin and leg draped over hers. Nothing was said.

Maia let out a yelp when the door flew open and an angry oderlie stared at them, shock written on every wrinkle of his face. Maia pulled towels over her body. House simply looked up, smiled at the man and shrugged his shoulders.

"You two Energizer Bunnies get dressed. Maia, time for you to go back to your cell." He closed the door and waited for them to dress.

Maia's mouth was wide open, "Do you think he saw anything?"

"Huh? Like the fact we were post-coital?"

She shook her head, "No, any of my body parts."

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, who's going to know I nailed a hottie?"

They were standing, Maia in her skirt and panties, starting to hook her bra. House realized this could be the last time he would ever see her breasts. Stepping forward, he reached up and fondled them, leaning down to kiss her.

"Greg…"she mumbled, pulling away from his mouth, "I need to get them back in the holster."

"I was just sad to see them disappear. I wanted to say goodbye."

"Well, thank you. They're glad you took time to say goodbye, but now they have to go back into their little homes." She pulled the cups over her breasts and the straps over her shoulders. House continued to dress and when they were both done, they opened the door and spotted the unhappy orderlie.

"Maia, this never happened." The orderlie demanded.

Both House and Maia nodded like naughty children. They got to the elevator and the orderlie stopped House and told him to catch another elevator. Maia was inside the elevator, only realizing just before the doors closed that they were being separated and that she wouldn't see him again for months. She jumped to the front of the elevator hoping to say goodbye, but the doors had closed. House pushed the button for an elevator, hoping to ride it to the fourth floor, and catch her.

The second elevator stopped at every floor on its way down to pick him up. By the time he got to the fourth floor it was too late. Maia had been whisked away. House was angry, upset.

_Now what do I do? Are we still getting the annulment? We never talked...we should have talked._

* * *

"Her analyst says that she's doing well although she's going through the natural stages of recovery. She's been lethargic for the last few weeks. She was somewhat depressed, but things are better now. She's made friends with a new patient and they seem to be good for each other, egging each other along. She's started getting up and walking, playing ping pong, dancing. They've been good for each other." 

"Good for each other? What's she in for?"

"Who?"

"This friend, the new patient?"

"Bradley?"

"Bradley? This new friend is a guy?"

Payson winced, realizing that she shouldn't have told House about the friendship, "Greg, it's not uncommon for patients to form alliances to get through the treatment." Payson fidgeted on the sofa next to House.

"Oh, for God's Sake, I'm not a child. I understand. So when will she get to come home?"

Payson knew from Maia's record that House and Maia had never lived together as husband and wife, "I assume you mean, when can she return to Princeton? I think we're looking at another six weeks."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, she's slightly ahead of schedule. Greg, are you going to file the annulment?"

"Is it any business of yours?"

She smiled, "Yes, besides the fact that it impacts us; if we're going to be successful in treating Maia, we're going to have to have some idea of the problems she'll have when she gets home. I think her employer will give her back her job. He seems to be rather fond of her. But, she seems to be worried about whether she'll be married or single when she comes back. I think the uncertainty is bothering her."

"I can't file the papers until her treatment is over or the insurance won't pay for it."

"Well, that's understood, she just wants to know where she stands." Amanda Payson shifted in her chair admiring the blue of his eyes.

"What does she want?" House asked, bending down to tie his shoe.

Payson stared at the disheveled, but incredibly brilliant, misanthrope as he fiddled with his shoe, "You want _her_ to be the one who pulls the plug, huh? So that you don't come off as the bad guy."

"You're not paying attention to the gossip are you? I don't care if I come off looking as the bad guy."

"Not with others; but you don't want it to end badly with Maia. In fact, you don't want it to end, but you're afraid that she does want it over. So, rather than risk your feelings, you play blind man's bluff, hoping it's Maia who flinches." Amanda reached up and rubbed House's back, "Greg, she's not going to flinch. She thinks you're just being nice by sending her to rehab to soften the blow when you file the papers. And because she's grateful, she's not going to risk making you feel guilty by telling you she loves you and wants you to tear the papers up. I'm afraid you two are headed right back to where you were months ago. Neither one of you knows how to put your feelings out on the table. You're both so gun shy it's painful to watch."

House smiled, "You have Maia and I all figured out, don't you?"

"I know that you came to me five days after Maia left asking for my help in getting off Vicodin. Now why would you do that? You didn't do it when the board warned you, when the court almost prosecuted your or when you showed signs of side effects. But you did it for Maia. You know that they're probably advising her that it's not a good idea for an addict to be with a non-treating addict. Do you like your therapist?"

House was immediately going to say no, in some witty way. But, he knew that he did, in fact, really liked his analyst, Geer, and knew how to get House to open up. He had been surprised when Payson had referred him to Geer, rather than treat him herself. She informed him that she would help with the pain management aspect, but he needed a male therapist, one that wouldn't put up with his crap. She didn't think it was a good idea to counsel House since she was going to be Maia's counselor when she returned. It had turned out for the best. House had thrown tantrums, screamed, clammed up and bullied, but Geer had stuck with him. He was starting to make some progress, but not without some painful results. The more he discovered his feelings, the more his leg hurt and the more he wanted to slam back the Vicodin.

"Greg, you're almost an addict. I would diagnose you as physically dependent, rather than an addict. It's a hard diagnosis because you have a psychological component that has you reaching for the Vicodin every time you have a crisis in your life. Physical dependency sounds the same as addiction, but pain specialists recognize it as a separate problem. Addiction is characterized by craving and compulsive use of drugs, which, to some extent you have. Physical dependence occurs when a person's body adapts to the drug. Physical dependence is a normal response to repeated use of opioids and is distinct from psychological addiction, but like I said, you have a psychological component, putting you on the fence. Unfortunately, you need the drugs for the pain, but you're also using them for their psychic brain effects. So, your addiction presents a special problem."

"I'm not an idiot, I read the literature. I've detoxed; I'm seeing the shrink and the physical therapist, but now the ball's in your court. I'm on fentanyl; now what?"

Payson looked through the journal, closed it and handed it back to House, "I think you'll do well with the Buprenorphine patch, especially since you're so motivated. How's the physical therapy?"

"Painful at times. But, I can feel a difference, I'm sleeping longer now."

"Good. You look rested, healthier than when you first walked into my office."

"Don't go getting a big head, we don't know how well I'll respond to the Buprenorphine."

"We'll go to the lowest dose and work up. I'll give you acetaminophin as a rescue drug. If you start taking the rescue drug, I want a liver panel once a week. Keep up your pain journal and I'll see you next week."

House nodded, picked up the journal and started out the door. Payson noted that he was walking better, not using the cane as much for stability. He really was working hard.

"Greg."

House turned around to face her.

"Are you getting the annulment?"

He looked away, "Well, it seems as if Maia is moving on, doesn't it?"

Amanda wanted to kick herself for telling him about Maia's friendship with Bradley. She knew that House was the type that would always be looking for ways to sabotage his own happiness. "They're friends Greg, friends."

He turned and left.

**Dear Readers...the next post is the last! Hope you have enjoyed it.**


	34. Chapter 15 Part 3End

**Dear Readers - Well, we've come to the last chapter of another story. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks again for reading, I appreciate your patronage!!! Gorblimey2 aka Kim Brogan. **

**(There is now and Epilogue to read too)**

Snowmelt, Chapter 15 Part 3

Maia was staring out to the lawn in the back where she could see her group playing volleyball. Twisting back in her seat, she smiled at Martha Brooks, her Reston counselor. "I wish I were out there, although I hate volleyball."

"Why Maia? What's so important out there?"

"I have friends. Friends who don't judge me for what I am, what I did."

"Is that important?"

Maia chuckled, observing that Martha's eyes looked more green than hazel today. "I haven't had a lot of friends to just play with over the last few years."

"Why do you think that was?"

"I'd like to say that the human race is fickle and, in the face of your humiliation doesn't remember all the good you once did. But, the reality is that I isolated myself. I only have myself to blame. I wanted to punish myself. I didn't think I deserved to be happy again."

"What changed?"

Maia looked back out at the window, but not at her friends playing volleyball. She was searching, wondering what had changed.

"I think it changed because I had this very difficult and brilliant man who cared about me even though I wasn't perfect. In fact, he liked me because I was flawed. I felt happy around him because, he was comfortable with me at my worst. That doesn't make sense. But it was a catalyst. When I lost that, when he didn't call for months, I felt as if it was a reflection on me. That I did need to be punished. What better way to punish myself for pushing him away than to drag myself down further?"

"What about him? Don't you think he has some responsibility in this?"

Maia snickered, "Oh, yes, but he won't take it. I think he was just as afraid that I was rejecting him."

"So you two have trouble communicating your desires to each other?"

Maia laughed out loud, "No, we have no trouble communicating our _desires_, just our feelings."

Martha laughed with her. "Yes, you seem to have a healthy sex life. We heard about the linen closet. How does that work with getting an annulment?"

Maia shrugged, "What closet? Who told?"

"I think the orderlie finally broke down and confessed at a bar to his co-workers that your libidos were in overdrive."

"Greg was just irresistible. Too good in that arena."

"What's going on with you and Bradley?"

Maia squirmed in her seat, "I like him. We have fun. He's so energetic and bright. He's nice to look at too."

"Do you have romantic feelings? If Dr. House files the papers, will you be turning to Bradley?"

"I've thought about it. I think about Bradley more and more as we get closer to me leaving."

"Why?"

"Because Greg hasn't tried to contact me. He doesn't seem to have any interest in what I am doing. It can only mean one thing, he wants the annulment."

"And you haven't tried to contact him to ask him?"

"I called and left a message telling him that I was going to be leaving here in a week, but he didn't call back."

"Maybe you should try again?"

"I don't want to put any pressure on him. I have to accept that he's busy living his life without me and he wants in that way."

Martha pretended to smack her forehead with her hand, "I thought if you learned anything here, it was that you need to communicate your feelings to your husband."

Maia sat up straight and leaned forward, her voice raised, "I would if my husband would call me. I can't make the damn horse drink."

Martha shook her head, "You have a point. Have you made your arrangements for when you leave?"

"Yes, Brad gave me a plane ticket for my birthday so that I don't have to take the bus."

"Back to Brad. He's an addict too, are you sure you want to go down that road?"

"Come on. He could say the same thing about me. We're good for each other. If Greg files the papers, I think I could do worse. Brad's a good guy and he's very protective."

Martha nodded, wondering whether she should tell Maia that House had been fishing for information through Amanda Payson. She'd have to call Amanda and ask.

* * *

The gruff voice announced curtly over the phone, "Coffee Mate." 

"Bear? This is Greg House."

Bear wiped his hand on his apron and stepped in the back so he could hear better. "Hi Greg, how are you doing?"

"Fine."

"I suppose you're calling about Maia? Are you going to be able to get off work?"

"Work?"

Bear didn't like it, House sounded baffled, "Yeah, Maia called and said you couldn't pick her up because of work."

"When is she getting in?"

"Haven't you talked to her?"

House didn't want to explain himself. The last few months had been extremely difficult, between detoxing, working out, trying new drugs and working too, he hadn't called Maia. He didn't want to talk to her until he knew that he could say that he was in a better place too.

"No, I've had back to back patients."

"She flies in Friday at 1:40 pm, American airlines."

"I can pick her up." House announced.

"Okay, I think she'd like that. I don't think I'll tell her; let it be a surprise."

"Did she say anything else?"

Bear realized that House hadn't talked to Maia, "She just asked how I was and if I had filled her studio with boxes."

"Okay, well I just wanted to know if you had heard from her. I'll pick her up. Bye." House hung up without waiting for Bear's goodbye.

House took Friday off and spent most of it cleaning the apartment, making room in his closet and getting ready. He pulled out the hanger and removed the dry cleaning plastic from the freshly pressed Levis on the hanger. Doing the same with his freshly pressed shirt, House placed them on his bed. After shaving and clipping, House ran a shower and washed his hair. Once dressed, House looked into the mirror. The blue t-shirt was a good match for his crisp shirt. He tucked the shirts into the Levis and put on a nice belt. House put in a little hair product, fluffed his hair like the stylist had shown him and stood back, hoping it didn't look like he was trying too hard.

The parking at the airport took longer than he thought it would, causing him to have to hurry. Once in the terminal, he discovered that the plane was ten minutes late. House had brought a bouquet from his local florist. The woman who put the flowers together had asked him what he wanted the flowers to say. At first he was cynical, but then he decided he could use all the help he could get. Now he stood holding a gorgeous arrangement of red tulips (believe me), jonquils (love me) and camellias (longing for you.) He doubted Maia would know the significance of each flower, but the bouquet itself was beautiful. Women walking by smiled at him standing nervously waiting for Maia.

He looked at the board which had just flipped to "Landed", swallowed and walked over to join the crowd waiting for people to exit the plane. House felt extremely conspicuous standing with the large bouquet announcing his feelings.

Several couples, families and numerous businessmen poured through the door and out past the security gate, but no Maia. House could feel himself start to sweat from his nervousness and was glad that he had on a t-shirt to keep his shirt dry. He looked around and smiled when he spotted her. She was wearing a sundress, sandals and -- his smile dropped -- adorned by a man's arm. They were laughing, sharing a joke, until Maia spotted House and the flowers. Her laughter disappeared, replaced by utter shock. She took her arm from the man's elbow and started to walk towards House. The man appeared to be as confused as Maia was shocked.

"Greg?" She stood in front of House, looking at the flowers, "Where's Bear?"

"I'm your ride." House barked, noticing how fresh and lovely Maia looked.

The man with Maia stuck out his arm to shake House's hand, "I'm Brad Wolfensen."

House looked behind and then at Brad, "Where is she?"

The thirty-something man cocked his head, "She? Who?"

Without any inflection, "Your wife…I thought this was a try-out for "Wife Swap"."

Maia closed her eyes and hung her head while Brad stared at her with questioning eyes, trying to get her attention. She opened them and directed her gaze at House, "You didn't return my calls or my emails. What was I supposed to think?"

House held onto the flowers, but said nothing.

Maia motioned to the flowers, "Are these for me?"

He looked at them, remembering how he agonized over the right message he wanted to send. He smirked and pushed them into her chest. She took them and sighed, smelling them and then, still looking at them, giving a sad little smile.

Brad put his arm around her, "Maia? What's wrong?" He looked up at House as if to ask him what was wrong.

"Let's get your luggage." House growled.

They went to the luggage carousel. House stood back by the door and watched as Brad and Maia talked animatedly about something. They found their luggage and crossed to House. He led them to his car, threw the luggage in the trunk, closing it with a thud and getting into the driver's seat. Brad got in back and Maia went to sit up front with House.

He took one look at her, "Get in the back."

She looked at him, bleary eyed, but didn't budge.

He clenched his teeth, "Get in back with _Brad."_

She looked as if she was going to cry, "He's my friend, Greg."

"Sure, now get in back."

"Greg…" she pleaded.

Brad spoke up, "Greg, Maia and I care about each other, but she always made it clear to me that she was married and needed to sort things out with you. She hasn't done anything wrong, we haven't slept together."

With a cold tone that sent chills through Maia House looked in the rear view mirror, "Well, then you have something to look forward to."

Maia clenched her fist and jumped out, "_I want my luggage_!"

House looked at her with contempt.

She yelled, "Brad, get out. Greg, pop the trunk, we want our luggage."

House could feel everything he had worked so hard for slipping away.

Brad looked at the two of them staring icily at each other and shook his head, "Look Maia, this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have suggested I come with you. You and Greg need to figure out what you're going to do. Greg, if you'll pop the trunk, I'll take the train to New York. That way you two can make some decisions."

House thought for a second, "You can take _her_ with you."

Maia looked stunned.

Brad chuckled, "A man doesn't bring down a bouquet of flowers to meet his wife if he doesn't have feelings for her. You two really need to talk." He turned to Maia and spoke firmly, "For once Maia, you need to tell him how you feel. Stop playing these games. Now Doc, if you'll pop the trunk, I'll let you two work this out."

House reached under the dashboard, popped the trunk, sat up and watched Brad and Maia in the rear view mirror. Brad got out his luggage, quickly closing the trunk so that Maia couldn't retrieve hers. House watched as Brad said something to Maia, hugged and kissed her on the cheek, then left.

Maia stood, hands on hips, staring down at her feet and frowning. She exhaled and looked into the car, catching House's eyes in the rear view mirror. She scowled, walked around and jumped into the back seat.

He rolled his eyes when he realized she was going to pout. "I'm not your chauffeur, get up front."

She growled, "You told me to get in the back. Make up your friggin' mind."

House almost laughed, but realized that would just inflame things. He calmed down and said gently, "Just get up front."

She got out, slammed the back door and got into the front, slamming the door and staring straight ahead. House grinned to himself as he started the engine and began the drive home.

They were silent most of the way. But as Maia calmed down she realized that he had brought her the lovely bouquet of flowers sitting on the seat between them. She picked them up and looked closely at them. She laughed.

House said solemnly, "What, not your kind of flowers?"

"No, I was just thinking. You know how red roses mean love? Well, jonquils mean please return my love. I think camellias mean missing you or something like that. I don't know what red tulips mean."

House said without inflection, "Red tulips mean, please believe me."

She looked over at him, "Really? Huh." Looking down at the flowers she smelled them, wondering how he knew that. As if she was putting together a crossword puzzle she said, "Then the bouquet says, believe me I miss you and please return my…" A chill ran over her spine, "Oh God!" She burst into tears so suddenly and with such force that House put his foot on the brake, anticipating some errant car careening at them.

Thrown off, House pulled over and took a deep breath. "Jesus Christ Maia." But Maia didn't hear him, she was sobbing so deeply. He turned in his seat to look at her. The flowers were being crushed as she bent over crying, tears falling into the tulips.

She started to control her tears, "Of course you, Gregory Friggin' Brilliant House, would know what flowers mean. Why couldn't you just say it? You wanted me to solve your riddle. I don't understand. You didn't call or write. I was sure you would sign and file the papers in court."

He grabbed an envelope he had stuck in the pocket on door, handing it to her. She took it, eyebrow knitted, brow furred. Opening up the envelope, she pulled out the folded papers. They were the annulment papers. Maia searched through to the last page where she saw her signature first. Next to it was _Gregory J. House, MD_, signed yesterday.

She felt queasy, overwhelming panic soaring through her. He was playing her. He had signed them and had all the intention in the world to file them. He just wanted to watch her squirm. Her panic turned to embarrassment. Embarrassed that she had thought he was making overtures of love.

_What an idiot I am._

He saw her hand started to shake, her lip started to quiver again. Pulling back into the traffic, House began the trip home again.

Maia turned and looked out the side window as the New Jersey landscape flew by. _I don't need this. I don't need this pain. I'm out of rehab four hours and I'm already so stress all I want is a hit. _

House watched her out of the corner of his eye, not sure why she was reacting the way she was. She was shaking, but quiet.

They had made it to the Princeton city limits, "Do you want me to drive you to the Bakery or the apartment?"

"You're joking?" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "Why would I want to go to your apartment?"

"I guess that's my answer."

"To what? Where I want to go?"

"No, where _this_ is going."

"_This?_ Would you speak English?"

He rolled his eyes, "I gave you those documents to let you know it's in your hands. You make the decision. If you want the annulment file them. If you don't, well…" His voice trailed off.

Her mouth dropped open, "You mean you aren't showing me these because you're going to file them?"

He pulled his head back, shaking it violently, "No, I want you to make the decision. You have the power…it's in your hands."

She leaned her head back on the seat, frustrated. After a pause she asked, "Greg, do you love me?"

He was very quiet until it became too awkward, "Do _you l_ove me?"

"I love you so much that right now all I want is to get high because I'm afraid you're going to dump me."

He was quiet for a minute.

"I'm clean."

She was confused, unsure what that had to do with her confession, "What does that mean?"

"You're not supposed to be with an addict. I got clean."

Her eyes flew open and her mouth dropped before turning into a big grin. _"You got clean for me?"_

He wouldn't say it out loud, but he smiled at her.

"I thought you looked exceptionally good at the airport. You look rested. Your skin looks better. You seem healthier." Her voice became excited, almost happy.

"So, is Brad coming back?" he asked casually.

"Not in any capacity that you have to worry about." She continued to grin, "I think you can take us back to your apartment."

He reached his hand out to her. She looked at it, chuckled, and it in hers. He squeezed her little fingers, put her hand up to his lips and whispered onto the back of it, "I love you, Maia."

The End


	35. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Maia put her luggage down and looked around. The apartment was surprisingly very clean and orderly. House grabbed one of the shoulder bags and went back to his bedroom. Maia followed, somewhat suspicious that all he wanted was some nookie. She was shocked to find the closet door open and half a shelf and bar cleared for her things. He pulled out the two lower drawers of his chest of drawers to show that they were empty. Maia choked up. He had really thought this through.

Tears started down her cheek.

House rolled his eyes, "What did I do now?"

She swallowed and walked slowly up to the frustrated man who stood leaning on the door jamb of the closet.

"You got clean, you cleaned and you cleared…all for me! And the flowers…the flowers. Oh God, I can't believe how stupid we've been, I've been. I should have come over and kicked your ass into admitting that this is what we both wanted. I probably would have stayed straight." She shook her head, "How ridiculous."

"Maia, why don't we talk about this naked?"

She started laughing. "I don't think we'll be talking if we get naked. We do a lot of bonking and very little discussion of how we feel."

He sat down on the bed, leaning back on his elbows. He took a deep breath, "I'm very good at saying what comes to the top of my head unless it's about my feelings for a woman… unless I have none." He patted the bed next to him and she sat down.

Maia nodded, "I used to be good, too good, at telling a guy how I felt. They all ran. I think I said too much too soon. So I stopped saying anything. I started second guessing everything they said, did. I was this strong woman, by day; but by night, I was an emotionally battered woman, willing to settle for company rather than love. I'm not that woman anymore. I want love or I'm out of here."

"I try to show my love in other ways."

"Like cleaning a closet?" She smiled and stroked his shirt.

"Yeah. Like cleaning out a closet, getting someone into rehab, paying for phone sex when I know she's not a brunette."

"I could wear a wig." She patted his knee. "I just need to hear it every once in awhile. Can you manage that?"

He lay back, using his folded arms as a pillow. "Tall order, but what if I promise to tell you how much I love you on your birthday, our anniversary and the first of each month."

"Throw in Valentine's Day and you have a deal."

"Can we have sex to seal the deal?"

She giggled and started fiddling with the zipper on her dress.

"I'm going commando."

Maia stopped in her tracks, "_What?" _

"Hey, we're married, your diseases are half mine now."

She put her fists on her hips, "I'm diseased free according to Reston labs Inc."

"So am I, according to PPTH labs. So, mother, may I go commando? Please?"

"What about little Hovels?"

"What?"

"Little Houses?"

"I don't mind kids, I just hate their parents."

"Are you saying you're willing to risk being a father just to go commando?"

"I'm saying that the consequence of having a kid doesn't bother me anymore. I've learned a lot more in therapy than Mommy and Daddy really fucked me up."

Maia stopped and thought. "Greg, I never really addressed whether I wanted to be a mother in therapy."

"Don't worry, you've got that hormonal connection when you squirt one of the little buggers out. You won't have to pay $150 an hour to find out you love it."

Maia stepped out of her sundress, braless. House shut his mouth and smiled slyly.

His voice was raspy, "Keep going."

She kicked off her sandals and pulled her panties down and off. Her bones weren't as prominent and the breasts were full and perky again. House could just imagine his mouth around them. He felt his erection straining against his fly.

Maia pulled his knees apart and stood between them looking down at his long body. She crawled on top of him as his arms came around her, holding her to his clothed body as tightly as he could.

Maia could feel his erection and the cold metal of his belt buckle. The long warm arms rubbed her back from her shoulders to the top of her thighs, lingering over the curve of her ass.

She started to slowly grind her pelvis into his erection, causing him to close his eyes and push his head back into the bed. After brushing her breasts over the lower part of his chest, Maia then climbed up to meet his mouth, opening hers and letting him see the tip of her tongue before she covered his mouth. She rubbed her tongue along the bottom of his teeth and then flirted with his. He tasted salty, like he had been eating potato chips. She continued to slowly grind against his levis, causing him to breath faster.

"Fuck," he said, pulling away from her mouth. "I can't tell you how often I come in my dreams to visions of those breasts and that lovely clit between your legs." He rolled her over and then pinned her arms to the bed as he stared at her. His eyes wandered down her body like a scanner. He looked back into her eyes and snorted with delight. "Damn, I'm afraid to take him out of my pants, he may start squirting if I touch him."

"I'll do the honors, but first take your shirts off."

House removed the shirt and t-shirt, noting the sweat stains underneath; he shrugged, "I was really nervous."

Maia started with the belt buckle. As soon as the buckle and button were undone, she took her tongue and followed the portion of the happy trail that was exposed up to his belly button and then back down, unzipping as she went. House clenched his teeth, trying hard not to come.

She saw the tip of his penis, filmy and pink, throbbing and larger than she had remember. She realized that, without the Vicodin, he was showing his full potential. Her tongue touched the tip and licked off the salty semen. More oozed up to meet her tongue.

His voice was a whisper, "Maia, you better let me fuck you now. Any more of this and we're going to be cleaning up come off the ceiling."

Maia laughed, climbed up on the bed and pealed his levis and shorts off of him, freeing his organ from its constraints. She climbed on top as he watched her. She took him in her hand and touch her clit over and over with it. He was so wet, that it felt slippery when she rubbed him around her clit. He started to buck ever so slightly, an unconscious move to what he was seeing. She found the hole and guided him to the edge. Once he was firmly lodged a few inches inside, he continued to watch as she used her hands to touch her breasts, pushing them together and then pinching her nipples.

"Christ!" he yelled, using all of his powers to keep from coming.

When she reached down and started to firmly rub her clit, it was too hot, too much. House bucked up, penetrating Maia to her cervix. He thrust twice. The feel of her muscles next to his naked cock was so pleasurable that he let out a low moan and then quickly thrust up again, three times, each time hitting her cervix and filling her with the warm white semen she had been licking just minutes before.

He let out his breath and chuckled, "I'm not usually that quick."

"I remember." Maia kept House inside of her while she continued to rub her clit and grind into him. He was still engorged enough to give her a feeling of fullness. He did nothing, but watch as she continued fingering her clit, breathing hard, her nipples dipping up and down as she rubbed herself hard and fast. He felt her muscles clutch around his semi-flacid penis as she screamed out.

"Oh fuck, fuck me Greg, fuck me."

He wasn't sure what to do, but when he heard her beg him to fuck her, his semi-flacid organ started to swell again and he bucked up over and over. Her muscles clenched him and her body flushed. The tingling pressure in her groin was pulsing through in waves as her vagina and uterus contracted over and over with her orgasm. Her mouth opened, forming an O. She looked like a porn queen straddled across him. After several bucks she fell forward, collapsing against his chest.

He was erect and wanted to finish what he had started. Maia could feel him still in her, hard and ready to go. She didn't sit up, but she slid up and down his body, her breasts rubbing across his chest. House rolled her onto her back, slamming into her, over and over and over, showing no signs of coming, but enjoying the pleasurable sounds and smells of them fucking. He was perched up on his hands looking down at the sight of him ramming into her. He fell to one elbow and picked up one leg, putting it over his shoulder, then the other. He raised up. Now kneeling with Maia's legs draped over his shoulders, he continued pounding, watching each time as he entered her, the view enhanced by the new position.

"Fuck! Christ. Fuck! Maia, Maia! Fuck." He was penetrating so hard and fast that Maia's breasts were dancing up and down, her head pushing into the pillow like a piston. He exploded, more delicious than the first time. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything except the wet and pleasure from his balls and cock. He stopped in mid-thrust, the last of the ejaculations squirting into Maia like a pressurized hose. He laughed again as the sensations started to slide away. He pulled out, his penis quickly deflating, pulling a stream of come with him.

"Damn, I've made a mess down here."

"Uh, can you get my legs down, this isn't the most comfortable of positions."

He laughed and gently brought her legs off his shoulder, then rolled onto his back laughing. "Now that was fuckolicious."

She started giggling. "Yeah, not bad for the first time out of the gate."

"You know what? It's not Valentine's Day or your birthday, but damn, you keep performing like that and I'm going to be professing my love for you on a regular basis."

"Is that all it takes? My legs over your shoulders?"

"You wish. Nah, sorry, it's the whole package." He reached under her shoulders, pulling her over to his chest. "I can screw hookers like that, but I need someone who likes it when I snore in her ear or pee when she brushes her teeth. I guess you're the whole package."

"Good, because I have two drawers and half a closet."

"And I have much more. I have you."

THE END


End file.
